What to Expect When
Starting Radiation Treatment

During your first visit the radiation oncologist will evaluate your medical history and conduct a physical exam to assess your clinical condition as well as the extent of disease. Your physician will discuss the benefits and possible risks associated with radiation therapy before your treatment begins. Once it is determined that radiation will be used as part or all of your cancer treatment, it is necessary to carefully plan your therapy. This process is called simulation. This entails:

• Taking detailed images of your body with CT, MRI, and PET/CT to determine where the cancer is for better therapy planning
• Measuring and marking the areas receiving radiation
• Placing you in the exact position in which you will be receiving your radiation treatment
• Creating devices and molds to securely hold you in treatment position
• Marking your body with implanted markers or tattoos to better target the tumor

Once you are finished with your simulation, your treatment team will use the images along with your prior medical history and develop a plan tailored to your specific needs. This plan will outline how much radiation will be delivered to certain parts of your body. Once the planning is finished, you are ready to start your therapy. During your treatments, you will be positioned as you were during the simulation process. At this time, any positioning devices that were used during simulation will be used again to ensure you are in the exact position for each treatment.