INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Radiation is one of the key treatments in the fight against all forms of cancer. More than 650 thousand people in the U.S. will receive radiation to try and wipe out their disease.

Now, a new radiation therapy is turning cancer against itself.

This year, 230 thousand men and women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, about 400 thousand people will be diagnosed with bone cancer.

“Metastatic lung or bone disease, we’re usually talking about stage 4 cancer at that point,” said Dr. Terrence Williams, a radiation oncologist.

For late-stage malignant bone and lung cancers, survival is measured in months, not years, but now, a new type of targeted radiotherapy is turning cancer cells against themselves.

“One therapeutic option that is emerging now is something called biology guided radiation therapy,” said Williams.

Radiation oncologists at the city of hope are some of the first to use the reflection x one linear accelerator. It’s the world’s first real-time linear accelerator to help visualize the cancer.

“Real-time pet guided radiation therapy is utilizing the positron emission that comes from the tumor to triangulate where the tumor is in the body and immediately target radiation back to the tumor,” said Williams.

The reflection x one can see precisely where to aim the beams of radiation, even when the tumor is moving. This decreases the risk of damaging healthy cells during radiation, giving doctors, and their patients another tool to help track down cancer and destroy it.

Earlier this year, the reflection x one received clearance from the FDA to treat primary or metastatic lung and bone cancer tumors.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.