Your doctor will discuss your treatment with you in more detail beforehand. Ewing's sarcoma responds very well to radiotherapy and this treatment is often used after chemotherapy and before surgery . If surgery is not possible, for example if the tumour is in the spine, radiotherapy may be given in place of surgery. Radiotherapy is not often used to treat osteosarcoma as the tumour is not very sensitive to radiation. However, if a limb has fractured and the risk of spread is increased it may be given after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells, especially in the surrounding tissues.
Radiotherapy given after surgery can help to control chondrosarcoma.
Planning your treatment To ensure that you receive maximum benefit from your radiotherapy, it has to be carefully planned. On your first few visits to the radiotherapy department you will be asked to lie under a large machine called a simulator, which takes X-rays of the area to be treated. Sometimes a CT scanner can be used for the same purpose. Treatment planning is a very important part of radiotherapy and it may take a few visits before the radiotherapist, the doctor who plans and supervises your treatment, is satisfied with the result. Marks may be drawn on your skin to help the radiographer, who gives you your treatment, to position you accurately and to show where the rays are to be directed.