Radiotherapy treats cancer by using high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells while doing as little harm as possible to normal cells.
Radiotherapy only treats the part of the body it's aimed at and so may be used when the Hodgkin cells are contained in one or two areas of lymph nodes in the same part of the body (stages 1 or 2). It might also be given in addition to chemotherapy.
what happens?
Treatment is given in the hospital radiotherapy department. It's usually every weekday with a rest at the weekend. The length of your treatment depends on the type and size of the cancer but it's usually for a few weeks.
To make sure your radiotherapy is as effective as possible, treatment has to be carefully planned. This means a few visits to the department before treatments starts, where you will lie on a machine called a 'simulator'. This allows the staff to work out the best position for you to be in during treatment. It means that your actual radiotherapy will only take a few minutes and will be really accurate.
During treatment, you'll need to lie very still. You'll be left on your own in the room, but it's only for a few minutes and you can talk to the radiographer through an intercom. Some places have a radio or CD playing while you have the radiotherapy.
are there side effects?
Radiotherapy isn't painful, but it can cause side effects; it pretty much always causes tiredness and skin problems. Other side effects depend on the part of your body being treated. Also some people feel a bit low or irritable when they have radiotherapy.
If you smoke you will be advised to give up, not just for all the normal reasons (general health!), but because of the effect it has on the lungs, especially if you are having radiotherapy to the chest. If you would like more information, have a look in the radiotherapy section.
