Radiation therapy uses a controlled dose of radiation to kill cancer cells or damage them so they cannot grow, multiply or spread. The radiation is usually in the form of focused x-ray beams, also known as photons. It can also be in other forms such as electron beams, proton beams, or gamma rays from radioactive sources. It is a localized treatment, which means it generally affects only the part of the body where the radiation is targeted.

Radiation therapy kills or damages cancer cells in the area being treated. Cancer cells begin to die days or weeks after treatment starts, and continue to die for weeks or months after it finishes. Although the radiation can also damage healthy cells, these tend to be less sensitive than the cancer cells and can usually repair
themselves. You should not feel any pain or heat during radiation therapy, but some side effects can cause pain or discomfort.

There are two main ways of giving radiation therapy:
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) – Radiation beams from a large machine called Linear accelerator are aimed at the area of the body where the cancer is located. The process is similar to having an x-ray. You will lie on a treatment table underneath the machine, which will move around your body. You won’t see or feel the radiation, although the machine can make noise as it moves.

Internal radiation therapy – This form of radiation therapy is called Brachytherapy, where
temporary or permanent radiation sources are placed inside the body next to or inside cancer. You may have one or both types of radiation therapy, depending on the type of cancer and other factors.

Linear accelerators used for external beam radiation therapy and HDR units for  brachytherapy will be in a dedicated room called a radiation bunker. In Sahyadri hospitals, Hadapsar these machines are located on the lower basement floor(Basement – 2).

While treatment schedules vary, most people have radiation therapy as an outpatient. This means you do not stay in the hospital, but travel to the hospital for each session. We will try to arrange treatment times that suit you. For some types of internal radiation therapy, you will need to stay in the hospital overnight or for a few days.

Research shows that about one in two people with cancer would benefit from
radiation therapy.
It can be used for different reasons:
As the main treatment to achieve remission or cure – Radiation therapy may be
given as the main treatment with the aim of causing the signs and symptoms of cancer
to reduce or disappear. This is called curative or definitive radiation therapy.
To help other treatments achieve remission or cure – Radiation therapy is often
used before (neoadjuvant) or after (adjuvant) treatments such as surgery to make the
treatment more effective. It can also be used at the same time as some treatments –
when it is combined with chemotherapy, it is known as chemoradiation or
chemoradiotherapy.
For symptom relief – Radiation therapy can help to relieve pain and other symptoms
by making the cancer smaller or stopping it from spreading. This is known as palliative
treatment.

Many people can continue to work during their treatment
and feel well enough to do all their usual activities. Others may need to reduce their
hours or take time off. How much you will be able to work depends on the type of
radiation therapy you have, how the treatment makes you feel and the type of work you
do.
You may be able to organise your radiation therapy appointments for the beginning or
end of the day. Talk to your employer about your working arrangements. Explain that it
is hard to predict how radiation therapy will affect you, and discuss the options of
flexible hours, modifying duties or taking leave.
Your treatment team will encourage you to be as active as possible, and they can
answer your questions about working during treatment.

You probably won’t be able to have radiation therapy if you are pregnant, as radiation can
harm a developing baby. It’s important that you don’t become pregnant during the course of
treatment. If you suspect you may be pregnant at any stage, it is important to tell your doctor.
Radiation therapy to the pelvis/abdomen can affect your fertility. If you think you may want to
have children in the future, talk to your treatment team about your options before radiation
therapy begins.
Men who have radiation therapy should avoid getting their partner pregnant during treatment
and for about six months after wards, as radiation can damage sperm.

Because cancer cells continue to die for weeks or months after treatment ends, your
radiation oncologist most likely won’t be able to tell you how the cancer is responding during
treatment. However, they can help you manage any side effects.
After treatment finishes, you will have regular check-ups. Your radiation oncologist will do a
physical examination and arrange tests or scans to check whether the cancer has responded to
treatment. It may be some time after radiation therapy finishes before the full benefit is known.
If radiation therapy is given as palliative treatment, the relief of symptoms will indicate that the
treatment has worked. This may take a few days or weeks. Until then, you may need to have
symptoms treated in others ways, e.g. medicine for pain.