Radiotherapy

Before the start of treatment, the patient will undergo radiation therapy planning procedures in our department. The patient will be positioned on an immobilisation device. Then the patient will undergo a planning Computed Tomography (CT) scan with the immobilisation device. Ink marks will be marked on their skin. Be aware that the markings on the skin will be used by radiation therapists later as a guide to focus the radiation on the treatment area. Depending on the site, the patient may undergo respiratory gating (breathing motion monitoring), in order to deliver radiation precisely to the target. Patients may also need to fast or do bowel preparations for planning and for treatment. 

The radiation oncologist and radiation therapists will use the CT images to create an individualised radiation therapy treatment plan for the patient. Once the treatment plan is approved by the oncologist and has passed all the physics quality assurance procedures, the patient will be ready to start the treatment. The treatment is delivered daily. There is typically around 5 to 30 treatments, depending on the treatment plan. It usually lasts for a period of 4 to 6 weeks. 

External radiation therapy is much like getting an X-ray, but with a higher energy. The procedure itself is painless. Each treatment varies from a few minutes to 30 minutes, in addition to the time it takes for positioning and image verification. 

There are many possible treatment techniques that can be employed for the treatment of abdominal malignancies. The treatment technique will depend on many factors and the best technique for the patient will be decided by the oncologist.