When you arrive for a session, you’ll be brought to the treatment room and positioned comfortably (often sitting in a chair or lying on an exam table, depending on tumor location). The radiation therapist will apply some ultrasound gel on the skin over the cancer and then place a small ultrasound probe on that spot. The therapist and doctor use the ultrasound image to see the tumor beneath the skin in detail – they will measure its width, length, and depth on the screen. Using those measurements, the doctor sets the treatment parameters: how large an area to treat and what radiation dose to deliver. This planning step is done at each session or stage of treatment to adapt to any changes. Once the plan is confirmed, the machine’s treatment head (which looks like a round applicator arm) is positioned over the lesion. The arm has been calibrated to the exact area that needs treatment. The staff will step out momentarily (for safety, as with any X-ray) and the machine will be turned on to deliver the dose. The actual radiation delivery lasts only a short time – usually under a minute. You won’t feel anything during that (it’s silent or you might hear a faint buzz). After the dose is delivered, the machine turns off and the therapist comes back in, removes the ultrasound gel, and that’s it. The session is complete. In summary: position, ultrasound scan, set the machine, brief X-ray treatment, and you’re done. The whole appointment is very quick and straightforward.
Category:
IG-SRT
