Once cancer is diagnosed, it can be surprising and intricate to come across a completely unanticipated medical vocabulary of words like LINPAC, Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT), Cyberknife (CK), Proton beam therapy (PBT) among many more. All these advanced and modernized forms of radiation therapy have enhanced the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment. Radiation therapy has modified the fate of many cancers such as carcinoma cervix, carcinoma breast, head and neck cancers, brain tumors, carcinoma lung, carcinoma endometrium, and other malignancies. During the last 100 years, radiotherapy has successfully established its position as a prime branch of medicine in cancer management. The concept of using ionizing radiation to treat cancer originated following the discovery of X-rays in 1895 and radioactivity in 1896. These earliest efforts prompted a revolution in the technological and conceptual metamorphosis of radiation techniques, forming a base for safe and effective radiation treatment used today. Probably, the most extensive of these developments has been the improvements in imaging, computer-based treatment planning, the concept of fractionating the radiation dose, and understanding of the biology of cancer cell response to radiation therapy. In 1950’s, radiation therapy treatment started with Cobalt-60 teletherapy machines, but sooner they were overtaken by megavoltage units such as linear accelerators. The most widely used advanced RT techniques include intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and imageguided radiotherapy (IGRT). IMRT delivers steep doses making this technique more accurate and less harmful to surrounding normal tissues than the classical RT techniques. Radiation treatment is an important tool in the armamentarium of cancer treatment for a wide range of malignancies. It has been estimated that approximately 50% of all cancer patients will require radiation therapy services during their illness. This treatment can be given with curative intent as well as palliative intent to alleviate the symptoms caused by the cancer. The choice of the intent of treatment depends on the stage of the disease and performance status of the patient. Other indications of radiation therapy include combination strategies with treatment modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. When radiation therapy is the main curative treatment such as in head and neck cancer, and carcinoma cervix, it avoids the morbidity associated with surgery. When radiation is used in the neoadjuvant setting e.g. in esophageal or rectal cancer, the aim is to reduce the tumor burden. For many common cancers, such as breast cancer, bowel cancer, uterine cancer, and prostate cancer, adjuvant radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting reduces the recurrence risk by killing microscopic tumor cells that have been left behind following surgery. Organ preservation constituted a paradigm shift in the management of patients with breast, larynx, and prostate cancer. Radiation therapy has been used in approximately 40% of cancer patients to achieve a successful organ preservation approach. This strategy resulted in favorable cosmists, functional preservation, and maintained quality of life due to advances in radiation oncology. Radiation therapy has been established as a distinct and most cost-effective strategy for treating cancer patients. This has become possible as it is given as an outpatient treatment. The future of radiation oncology is extraordinarily strong due to advancements in radiation oncology treatment and the ongoing progress that is happening in this ever-evolving branch. We could foresee a bright future for radiation oncology as an amalgamation of integration of artificial intelligence, FLASH radiotherapy, incorporating hybrid MRI devices in modern image-guided radiotherapy, the field of radiomics, the use of proton beam therapy in clinical routine, and the role of radiation therapy in oligometastases.                                                                                                                                  ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) vision 2030: “Radiation Oncology Optimal Health for All, Together”. #Radiotherapy saves lives—Maximilian Niyazi