Radiation Therapy

Planning Your Treatment

Your primary physician has referred you to a cancer specialist - a radiation oncologist - who will be "your doctor" while you are receiving radiation therapy. Your radiation oncologist will work with a team of medical specialists to design a treatment plan that suits your particular needs. Your RT team may' include radiation physicists, dosimetrists, who are specially trained to calculate radiation doses, a radiation therapist (or radiation therapy technologist), a radiation oncology nurse and a social worker. Before your first visit to the radiation oncologist, your primary physician will forward your medical records, including any previous diagnostic X-rays, lab tests and other pertinent information about your case, to your radiation oncologist for review.

Your initial visit allows both you and your new doctor to get acquainted. He or she will talk with you about your medical history, examine you thoroughly and order additional X-rays or other tests, if needed. Following your exam, your radiation oncologist will discuss the recommended course of treatment with you and your family and answer any questions that you may have. After consulting with your primary physician and obtaining your written consent for the recommended therapy, your doctor will schedule an appointment for a treatment planning session.
   

Treatment simulation is the final step in the planning process. It serves as a "rehearsal" for the treatment procedure and uses the actual setup your radiation therapy team has designed. No radiation is given during this practice session, but X-rays and photographs are taken and added to your file. After your radiation therapy team has verified the accuracy of your treatment setup, our support staff will work with you to arrange a schedule of treatment sessions.

Most treatments are given five days a week for several weeks and although the actual radiation treatment usually takes from one to five minutes, you will need to allow at least a half-hour for each appointment. Appointments are scheduled at the same time each day for the required period of time. We will make every effort to accommodate your specific needs and avoid unnecessary disruptions in your daily routine.