Radiation therapy is used for two main reasons: to try to cure cancer (radical or curative) or to help control symptoms (palliative).

Your radiation oncologist will decide whether or not you should have radiation therapy as part of your treatment. It depends on what type of cancer you have, how big it is, and whether it has spread or not.

You might have radiation therapy:

Radiation therapy is usually given as an outpatient. For external radiation therapy, you will travel to the radiation therapy department at your nearest regional cancer centre. You will go home after your treatment.

For some types of internal radiation therapy (or brachytherapy), you might have to stay in the hospital overnight. If you’re already staying in the hospital, your hospital care team will arrange your transportation to the radiation therapy department.

Some types of radiation therapy are only offered in specific regional cancer centres. If you need a type of treatment that is only offered at a centre far from home, talk to your radiation oncologist about where you can stay.

Find out more here about your options for transportation and lodging.

Doctors who specialise in treating cancer with radiation therapy are called radiation oncologists.

Your radiation oncologist works with other health professionals who have been trained in cancer treatment and care. Your health care team during your radiation treatment will include:

Your primary team is responsible for designing, planning, and delivering your radiation treatment plan safely and effectively. You will see radiation therapists every day for your treatment appointments. You will see your radiation oncologist at least once during your treatment course.

Other members of your health care team may include:

Once you and your radiation oncologist have decided that you will have radiation therapy treatment, the planning process will start.

 

To plan your treatment your radiation oncologist needs to see where the cancer is and the area around it. Usually, this means you will have a planning CT simulation appointment in the radiation therapy department.

At this appointment, you will lie down on the CT scanner bed. The radiation therapists will position you. Please tell the radiation therapists if you are uncomfortable.  You will have to lie in this exact position each time you have your radiation treatment.

Depending on what area of your body is being treated, you may also need:

After the CT simulation appointment, the radiation oncologist, radiation therapists, and medical physicist will plan your treatment.

Once your treatment plan is completed, a radiation therapy clerk will call you with the date and time of your first treatment. On that day, the radiation therapists will sit down with you to explain the process and answer your questions.