Treatment Sessions You will be treated at approximately the same time each day. Radiotherapy is given by a machine called a linear accelerator . Treatment takes about five minutes each day, but you will be in the treatment room for about 15-20 minutes while the therapists position you correctly. Please note that you may be at the hospital for up to one hour each day if other patients are waiting or require urgent treatment, or if the treatment machine needs to be adjusted. A visit to the simulator, where your radiotherapy is first planned After the simulation, a radiotherapy plan is calculated on a computer.
Treatment is given nine or ten times per fortnight, excluding weekends or public holidays.
Often after 25 treatments to the whole breast, a further five to eight treatments are given to where the tumour started. Your doctor may mark the breast scar area with washable ink and use ultrasound or a CT scan to measure the distance from the skin to the chest wall so that the appropriate radiation energy for this part of your treatment is prescribed. You will be alone in the treatment room only while the machine is working. During this time, the radiation therapist will be able to see you on a monitor screen and hear you if you speak. You will need to lie still while you receive the treatment.