Medicine

Patient information for Translation

Short Course Radiotherapy

Important: Please tell us if you have a pacemaker as we will need to monitor your heart during your treatment.

Please let us know if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant.

It is important to remember that you need to use contraception whilst receiving treatment for cancer in order to prevent pregnancy – please see our leaflet ‘Avoiding pregnancy during radiotherapy and chemotherapy’

Introduction

Radiotherapy is used to treat cancer using a machine called a Linear Accelerator (linac). The linac aims carefully measured doses of radiation at a specific target. Radiation is invisible and painless.

When will I have treatment?

You will usually have treatment on the same day as your planning/CT scan appointment, or within a few days of this.

What happens?

When you arrive for treatment, a radiographer will speak to you to discuss your treatment. Once you are satisfied with this information you will be shown to the treatment machine. You may need to change into a gown (depending on the area to be treated).

You will be positioned on the treatment couch. Your position will be identical to the setup from your scan. The radiographers will move you under the machine and check some measurements before treatment starts. Once in position you must stay still for the duration of the treatment. You may benefit from taking pain relief prior to treatment in order to lay still comfortably.

You will be left alone when the machine is working, but the radiographers will be watching you on a closed circuit television system. If you need the radiographers for any reason, all you have to do is raise your hand and they will come back into the room.

The treatment appointment will last between 10-20 minutes.

If you have more than one appointment this process will be identical for your other appointments.

Side effects of radiotherapy

We plan your radiotherapy treatment so that the dose given to the tumour is maximised without causing damage to surrounding normal tissues. However, it is not possible to avoid the normal tissues completely. Any side affects you may experience will depend on the area we are treating, so not all are applicable. Please clarify with the radiographers if you have questions. 

Pain: Any pain you currently have may get worse during/after treatment. After a few days you should see an improvement in your symptoms. Taking pain killers can help control this.

Nausea: If we are treating around your abdomen, it may be possible that you feel sick after your treatment. You may be given medication to take before and after your treatment to help stop this. If you are worried, please talk to your radiographer or doctor.

Diarrhoea: If your treatment includes part of your lower abdomen/bowel/pelvis, you may experience looser stools than normal. It may be helpful to reduce fruit and fibre for a short period of time and drink plenty of water to maintain hydration. If your symptoms become bad, there is medication that can be prescribed to help control your bowel movements, please speak with your doctor.

Fatigue: During your course of treatment there is no need to alter your lifestyle radically, but you may feel tired. This may be related to your illness, or to your treatment. Please be sensible and rest if you feel you need to.

Drinking plenty of water will help relieve fatigue and help keep you hydrated and energised during your treatment. Aim for 2 litres per day.

Skin soreness: During treatment you may find that the skin in the treatment area becomes red, itchy, or sore to the touch. Please refer to the skin care section below for advice.

Skin care

The following advice will help you look after your skin during treatment:

• You can wash, shower or bath as normal. 
• Treat your skin gently- do not rub or scrub the skin in the treatment area.
• When drying gently pat with a soft towel.
• Avoid tight fitting clothing.
• We can provide a basic moisturizer to use in the area.

Please ask for the skin care leaflet for further recommendations.

Please note that any side effects that occur during your treatment will continue and/or may get worse a week or two after your last treatment appointment. Please allow 2-4 weeks before returning back to your normal routine.

If you are worried about your side effects after your treatment has finished, please contact your GP or your specialist cancer nurse or refer to the phone numbers on the back page of this leaflet.

Contact Us

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy Basement, King George V Wing (KGV), St Bartholomew’s Hospital, West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE  

0203 465 5222 Radiotherapy Reception

07917 093 738 Emergency Hotline

(When the department is closed)

Maggie’s Centre @ St Barts

St Bartholomew’s Hospital, West Smithfield, London, EC1A 7BE

0203 904 3448 Maggie’s Centre Reception

Drop in Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm

barts@maggies.org

www.maggiescentres.org/our-centres/maggies-barts

Macmillan Cancer Information Centre

Vicky Clement-Jones

Ground Floor, West Wing, St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Drop in Mon-Fri: 10am-12noon and 2-4.30pm.

0203 465 6611 Macmillan Reception

If calling outside working hours, ring Macmillan free on 0800 808 00 00 or visit the Macmillan website.

Large print and other languages
This information can be made available in alternative formats, such as easy read or large print, and may be available in alternative languages, upon request. For more information, speak to your clinical team.
 

এই তথ্যগুলো সহজে পড়া যায় অথবা বৃহৎ প্রিন্টের মত বিকল্প ফরম্যাটে পাওয়া যাবে, এবং অনুরোধে অন্য ভাষায়ও পাওয়া যেতে পারে। আরো তথ্যের জন্য আপনার ক্লিনিক্যাল টিমের সাথে কথা বলুন।

Na żądanie te informacje mogą zostać udostępnione w innych formatach, takich jak zapis większą czcionką lub łatwą do czytania, a także w innych językach. Aby uzyskać więcej informacji, porozmawiaj ze swoim zespołem specjalistów.

Macluumaadkaan waxaa loo heli karaa qaab kale, sida ugu akhrinta ugu fudud, ama far waa weyn, waxana laga yabaa in lagu heli luuqaado Kale, haddii la codsado. Wixii macluumaad dheeraad ah, kala hadal kooxda xarunta caafimaadka.

Bu bilgi, kolay okunurluk veya büyük baskılar gibi alternatif biçimlerde sunulabilir, ve talep üzerine Alternatif Dillerde sunulabilir. Daha fazla bilgi için klinik ekibinizle irtibata geçin.

یہ معلومات متبادل فارمیٹس میں دستیاب کی جا سکتی ہیں، جیسا کہ پڑھنے میں آسان یا بڑا پرنٹ  اور درخواست پر متبادل زبانوں میں بھی دستیاب ہو سکتی ہیں۔ مزید معلومات کے لیے، اپنی کلینکل ٹیم سے بات کریں'۔

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Please contact us if you need general information or advice about Trust services: www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/pals

Reference: BH/PIN/897

Publication date: November 2022

All our patient information leaflets are reviewed every three years.

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