Radiotherapy 3: Your pathway

There are a number of different steps you have to take as you progress with your radiotherapy treatment. This is called your radiotherapy pathway and includes a consultation where you will first meet your doctor, known as a radiation oncologist. They will discuss your treatment plan and you may sign consent forms.

You may also meet your nurse specialist on this day. A pre-treatment planning appointment is arranged where you will attend the hospital for your first planning scans. CT and/or MRI scans may be needed around the body that needs treatment. A tailored plan is created based on the result of these scans, and each patient has a different plan.

We will talk about planning and scans in more detail in the next section.

Then, your radiotherapy treatment begins. On your first day of your radiotherapy treatment, your team, usually the radiation therapist, will explain what will happen and go over some of the information regarding treatment and possible side-effects. They will tell you the dates of all your sessions, which can then be adjusted to work around your needs.

You will have ongoing treatment reviews and assessment of any side-effects. You will see a member of the medical team and may also see other healthcare professionals regularly during your treatment to keep an eye on how you are feeling and how to give you any extra support you might need.

The team will be reviewing you regularly and may include other specialists or healthcare professionals as needed. For example, you may need to see a dietitian or in some instances, a speech and language therapist.

After treatment is finished, you may have a follow-up appointment. You may see your doctor or one of the team 6 to 8 weeks after you finish your radiotherapy treatment. At this appointment, the team will see how you have been managing since your treatment.

They may also discuss next steps. The decision if you need a follow-up appointment will be decided on your last day of treatment.