Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays (such as x-rays) or particles to kill cancer cells. It’s a key part of sarcoma treatment that is often used to stop tumors from spreading or growing, or to relieve painful symptoms.
Radiation therapy may be used alone or together with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or other treatments. Radiation therapy is administered in small amounts over the course of a few days or over several weeks, depending on the type of sarcoma you have. Your care plan will be overseen by a radiation oncologist, a doctor trained in the use of radiation to treat cancer who will work closely with the rest of the cancer care team.
Your radiation treatment may be held at, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Floors 1B and 2B, Radiation Therapy Treatment Centre. You will be asked to bring your OHIP card, a list of your current medications and pacemaker/defibrillator card (if you have one). To ensure that the radiation will be administrated correctly, you will start with a CT stimulation appointment. This will use a special scanner to take images of your treatment area which will later be used by your care team to create your personalized plan. Based on the details of your plan, you will be scheduled for your appointments on a daily or weekly basis along with a review appointment. The review appointment is a weekly visit with your radiation oncologist and oncology nurse to review how your treatment is going and to take care of any side effects you may have. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions or concerns that you may have. Not sure where to start or what to ask? Take a look at our list below:
- What’s the purpose of radiation treatment for my type of cancer?
- What type of radiation therapy will I get?
- What can I do to be ready for treatment?
- Can I eat before treatment, or do I need to avoid certain foods before getting treatment?
- Do I need to follow a certain diet while I’m on treatment?
- How often is it given? How long will each treatment take? How long will I be on radiation?
- When will I know that my radiation treatment is working?
For a more detailed list visit: How Radiation Therapy Is Used to Treat Cancer
Additional Resources:
What to Expect: Radiation Treatment by Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Radiation Therapy by Canadian Cancer Society
