Visiting the clinic for radiotherapy
You may have already been to the specialist non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) clinic several times for diagnostic tests, as well as consultations about your condition and the management options that are available to you.
However, you might still feel quite nervous about going along for your first round of treatment. This is understandable, as you will be going through a lot of new experiences and meeting some new staff who will be specialists in radiotherapy treatment.
Remember that everyone on your healthcare team is dedicated to helping you through your treatment, and they will always have time to talk to you about what to expect on your visits and to give you advice about how to cope with your radiotherapy.
There are also several patient support groups for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who will be able to provide you with advice and support, and your healthcare team will be able to let you know of any local groups that you may like to contact.
Getting yourself ready in advance for your treatment visits can also help make things easier for you. Our section on Preparing for your first treatment visits for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma will give you some tips for things to think about in advance, or what to ask your healthcare team.
What will happen at the radiotherapy clinic?
Before your treatment begins you will need to make some visits to the hospital to properly plan the radiotherapy
Because of the need to target the radiation to exactly the right area of the body, your doctor will need to carry out investigations such as a CT (computerised tomography) scan or X-ray to accurately map out the areas of your body that are affected by lymphoma.
Sometimes a mould might be made to hold your body in the correct position during treatment. Your radiotherapist might also draw small marks on your body that will help them position you properly and show where the beams of radiation are to be directed. These marks will usually have to stay there for the duration of your radiotherapy treatment.
In this way, normal healthy cells surrounding the lymphoma are spared the full dose of radiotherapy, and these cells are usually able to repair themselves more easily than lymphoma cells.
Therefore, radiotherapy can control or destroy lymphoma cells, while causing only temporary damage to normal cells.
Radiotherapy is usually given on an outpatient basis, and you might need to visit the hospital up to 5 times a week
A course of radiotherapy usually lasts for between 2 and 6 weeks
Each treatment usually lasts only a few minutes and causes no discomfort. You might need to go in to the hospital as many as 5 times per week, but this will depend on your individual circumstances. Your healthcare team will be able to advise you on your treatment plan and why it was chosen for you.
Before each treatment, you will be carefully positioned, usually lying on a treatment table. Parts of your body that are not being treated may be covered.
The area to be treated will be carefully mapped out and the treatment machine will be adjusted so that only the lymphoma cells are exposed to a full dose of radiotherapy. This will limit the side effects as much as possible.
It is important to remain completely still during the treatment.
Although you are left alone during the actual treatment, the radiotherapy technicians watch from an observation room and you can to talk to them through a microphone.
Who will give me the radiotherapy?
Your radiotherapy will be planned by a specialised radiotherapist
These specialist cancer doctors have a particular interest in radiotherapy and are also known as radiation oncologists or clinical oncologists. They will help decide how much radiation is needed, and the best way of delivering the radiation to the areas of the body that need it.
Your treatment will be delivered by a radiotherapy technician
Radiotherapy technicians are specialists in controlling the machines that will deliver the beams of radiation to your body. They will be advised by your radiotherapist on how you are to be treated, and will help position you beforehand and talk to you from an observation room while the procedure is underway.
Clinical nurse specialist – a nurse who has specialised in NHL
Although they might not be directly involved in your radiotherapy, the clinical nurse specialist is often your main point of contact at the clinic. They will be able to talk to you about your radiotherapy and answer any questions that you might have.