Radiation Oncology Next Steps:
Step 1: Consultation
Most patients are referred to radiation oncology by other specialists who have done tests to determine if cancer is present and if so, at what stage. During the first visit, a radiation oncologist will review the results of previous tests to determine if radiation therapy is a treatment option. The consultation includes a description of how the treatment works and discussion of any possible side effects. The radiation oncologist may order other tests including x-ray examinations, blood work, or additional imaging studies.
Step 2: Radiation Oncology Nurse Visit
A radiation oncology nurse will record pulse, blood pressure, weight, health history, and the history of the present cancer and educate you about what to expect from radiation treatment, including side effects.
Step 3: Simulation
Simulation includes a CT scan of your treatment area and collection of additional technical information used to develop the radiation treatment plan. You will be positioned for the CT scan in the same way as for treatment. The therapist will need to mark certain areas of your body to later assist in accurately aiming the radiation at exactly the same spot during each treatment. This process allows the physician, dosimetrist and physicist to develop a treatment plan precisely designed and targeted to you. They will study the images and determine where and how to direct the radiation to achieve the best results. In some cases, the simulation will be scheduled on the same day as the consultation. In other cases, it will be scheduled by the radiation oncologist for a later date.
Step 4: Dosimetry
Radiation oncologists and other members of the treatment team carefully study information from simulation on the location and size of the tumor, surrounding tissues, and organs. The physician reviews the information provided during simulation to determine the appropriate course of treatment. Then the team, with computer-aided technology, develops a plan that provides the safest and most effective treatment.
Step 5: Radiation Treatment
Once the radiation oncologist and their team have developed the individualized treatment plan, you are ready to begin treatment. This generally occurs 1-7 days after the simulation.
You will be asked to lie on the table or “couch” of the radiation treatment machine; the radiation therapist will help position you. The therapist and oncologist can also move the table to perfectly align you for treatment. These movements are often as little as one millimeter or even less to ensure precise accuracy. Computers and laser beams are also used to help with alignment.
Because radiation is being used, the therapist and physician cannot be in the same room with you during treatment. The radiation therapist closely monitors you during treatment on a television screen and an intercom system allows for constant verbal contact. During treatment, you will be asked to lie very still. The computerized treatment plan, developed and approved by the radiation oncologist and their team, tells the treatment machine precisely how to deliver the radiation at the targeted area or areas. The machine can rotate 360 degrees so the radiation can hit the tumor from different angles. Each treatment is painless and lasts only a few minutes.
Step 6: After Radiation Treatment
Care from our radiation therapy team doesn’t end when radiation treatments are completed. The radiation oncologist meets with you toward the end of treatment to carefully review and discuss aftercare instructions, possible side effects, and what to expect in the days ahead.
Follow-up appointments are scheduled with the radiation oncologist and/or physician’s assistant.
For more information, call HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers at 920-433-8488.
