If you're diagnosed with cancer, you'll be cared for by a team of specialists. Your team will recommend radiotherapy if they think it's the best option for you, but the final decision is yours
Radiotherapy is a highly specialised procedure that uses high-energy x-rays to treat tumours which may or may not be cancerous.
Radiotherapy may be used at any stage of a cancer diagnosis
It can be used to:
Radiotherapy works by damaging cells in the area we are treating, ensuring they do not grow any further. Normal cells are damaged in the process, but have the ability to recover. The treatment is delivered by machines called Linear Accelerators (Linacs) and is a painless process.
The staff who deliver the treatment are called Radiographers. A Radiographer is a person who takes scans and x-rays of people’s bodies as well as give radiation treatment and assess radiotherapy side effects. Both male and female Radiographers work at the Radiotherapy Department as well as student Radiographers from Cardiff University.
Most people will have radiotherapy as an out-patient. This means you can go home after your treatment. You do not stay in the hospital overnight. The number of treatments you have will depend on what kind of cancer you have. Every person will be different. It can be given as a single treatment, or you could be asked to attend daily Monday to Friday for up to seven weeks.
The first appointment in the radiotherapy journey will be for a planning CT scan or a Mould room appointment.
This is a painless process that is used to carefully and accurately plan your treatment, the plan ensures the highest possible dose is delivered to the cancer, whilst as much as possible avoiding damage to nearby healthy cells.
You are lying on a firm bed with equipment used to keep you in the same position each day. The bed isn’t the most comfortable but minor adjustments can be made at this appointment if you do not think you can hold this position well for 15 minutes. The position you are in for your scan is recreated during your treatment appointments so it’s important to speak up if you cannot tolerate this.
You will see some green laser lights which are used to help position you and then you will go through the CT scan which is like a doughnut shaped machine that is generally quiet and always painless.
After the scan, some very small but permanent ink marks may be made on your skin to ensure the right area is targeted accurately each time.
If you're having radiotherapy to your head or neck, a thermoplastic mask will be made for you to wear during treatment. In this case ink marks will be made on the mask itself but you still may have one on your chest.
You may need to have a contrast dye inserted into your veins for this CT scan which will be done through a cannula on this appointment.
If you have a long way to travel each day for your treatment, ask the person who gives you support if they can drive you to the hospital. If you are unable to bring yourself for treatment or do not have anyone else to bring you, please ask a member of staff about hospital transport.
Before your first treatment a Radiographer will have a “First Day Chat” with you. During this chat you will be given information about what to expect during treatment.
It’s good to ask any questions and talk about anything that is worrying you. It is during this time you are given your first set of appointment times. Unfortunately, due to the demand on the machines, we are unable to give you a specific regular time slot. However, if you have a commitment that you need to attend on a specific day the staff will do their best to accommodate you.
Before each treatment, a Radiographer will help you get into the same position each day. It is very important during treatment that you keep very still. Once the Radiographer has done their checks they will then have to leave the room, so they are protected from the strong x-rays. But don’t worry, they can still see you through the cameras and hear you and talk with you through the intercom in the room.
The machine will move around you from outside the room, during this time it could be taking a scan or delivering the treatment. The machine can make some noise but try not to worry about this. The whole treatment usually only takes 10 to 15 minutes. We can turn up the music in the room to help with the noise of the machine but it generally isn’t that loud.
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