The patient may communicate at any time with the therapist during the radiation therapy session. The actual treatment delivery session can last anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. The radiation is invisible and creates no sensation when it passes through the patient's body. At the conclusion of treatment, the patient is helped off the table by the therapist. The patient can resume his normal daily activities.
Many patients continue to work during radiation treatments.
Computer simulation of radiotherapy treatment of the throat and esophagus External radiation therapy is usually given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or outpatient center. The treatments can be given up to five days per week for several weeks. Patients are not radioactive during or after the treatment. For internal radiation therapy, the patient usually stays in the hospital for a few days. The implant may be temporary or permanent.