How will the course of my treatment be arranged? How many treatments will I need?

Radiation therapy will be carefully planned to maximize the damage to the cancer and minimize the side effects for you.

There will be a number of people involved in therapy. You will have a radiologist who specializes in cancer treatment, as well as a radiologic technician who actually administers the therapy.

You will first be evaluated in what is called a simulator, which will get x-ray pictures of your tumor. This information will be used to define the treatment area, also called the port. Other scans may be used to help pinpoint the area even better. You may have tattoo-like marks on your skin to help delineate the area. Molds may be made in order to fashion pillows and props so that you can lie in the best position.

Treatment is usually given on weekdays, 5 days a week. Most of the time radiation is given for 3 to 5 weeks. The patient will then be reassessed to see how he or she is doing.

The radiation team does calculate the total dose of radiation needed to kill the cancer cells without causing substantial damage to normal tissue, in your case. The dose is spread out over the many days of treatment.