About radiotherapy for lung cancer
This page tells you about radiotherapy for lung cancer. There is information about
About radiotherapy for lung cancer
Radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells. Cancer specialists use radiotherapy to treat all types of lung cancer. For non small cell lung cancer, you may have it on its own or with another treatment, such as chemotherapy or surgery. For small cell lung cancer, you may have radiotherapy with or after chemotherapy. And you may also have radiotherapy to your brain. This aims to kill off any small cell lung cancer cells that may have spread there.
Most radiotherapy for lung cancer is external radiotherapy. The radiation is aimed at your body from a machine. You have the treatment in the hospital radiotherapy department. Your treatment plan will depend on what you are having the treatment for. You may have one treatment, two treatments about a week apart, or daily treatments from Monday to Friday for a few weeks. Some people have 3 treatments a day for about 12 days, including weekends.
Internal radiotherapy uses a radiation source inside a narrow tube that the doctor puts inside your airway for a few minutes.
Radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells. Cancer specialists use radiotherapy to treat all types of lung cancer. For early stage lung cancer, the radiotherapy may aim to get rid of the cancer completely.
For non small cell lung cancer you may have radiotherapy on its own or with another treatment, such as chemotherapy or surgery. We have detailed information about radiotherapy for non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
For small cell lung cancer, radiotherapy is sometimes used with or after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy makes the tumour in the lung shrink. Giving radiotherapy as well improves the results. You may also have radiotherapy to your brain, which aims to kill off any cancer cells that may have spread to the brain. It is called 'prophylactic cranial irradiation' or PCI. We have detailed information about radiotherapy for small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
For more advanced lung cancer the treatment aims to shrink the cancer and control it for some time to reduce symptoms such as a cough or breathlessness.
Most radiotherapy for lung cancer is external treatment. This is like having an X-ray, in that the radiation is aimed at your body from a machine. You have the treatment in the hospital radiotherapy department. Your treatment plan will depend on what you are having the treatment for.
If you are having radiotherapy to try to cure your lung cancer (radical radiotherapy) you may have between 20 to 36 treatments. You might have one treatment each day, from Monday to Friday, over 4 to 7 weeks. Or you might have 3 radiotherapy treatments each day for about 12 days, meaning you have treatment at the weekends too. This type of radiotherapy is known as CHART - continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy. There is more information about CHART radiotherapy for lung cancer in this section.
If you are having radiotherapy to help control symptoms, you may have one treatment, two treatments about a week apart, or daily treatments for up to 3 weeks.
Having external radiotherapy does not make you radioactive. It is perfectly safe to be with other people, including children, throughout your treatment course.
Internal radiotherapy is also called brachytherapy or endobronchial therapy. This treatment is done using a bronchoscopy. The radiation source is inside a narrow tube that the doctor puts inside your airway for a few minutes. Doctors use this type of treatment to shrink a tumour that is blocking or pressing on your airway and making breathing difficult for you. There is more information about internal radiotherapy therapy in this section.
Radiotherapy treatment is carefully planned. Doctors may use CT and other scans to plan your radiotherapy treatment, which is called virtual simulation. Or on your first visit, they may ask you to lie under a machine called a simulator which takes X-rays and CT scans. The doctor uses either of these methods to work out exactly where to give the treatment so that
- It kills the most cancer cells
- It misses as much healthy lung tissue as possible
During the planning session, marks are made on your skin. The radiographer uses these skin marks to line up the radiotherapy machine when you have your daily treatment. Don't worry if they wear off a bit, they can be re-drawn. You will also have a few pinprick tattoos made during planning so that the radiographers can line up the machine accurately.
The lungs are very sensitive to radiation, and so are other areas in the chest, such as your spinal cord. Because of this, doctors are very careful when they plan radiotherapy to the lungs. Occasionally you may need to have several planning sessions before your doctor is absolutely satisfied about the way your treatment is planned.
External and internal radiotherapy treatments are given in different ways. For more information about internal radiotherapy look at the page about internal radiotherapy for lung cancer.
External radiotherapy treatments only take a few minutes each time. The radiographer will position you on the couch (usually lying down) and make sure that you are comfortable. They have to dim the lights while they are setting up so they can see the laser guidance beams. You won't have your treatment in the dark. Although you are left alone while you have your treatment, the radiographer can hear and see you.
Radiotherapy doesn't hurt. You won't be able to feel it, but you need to keep very still for a few minutes while you have the treatment. There may be special arm rests or cushions to help you to keep still. You may be asked to breathe in a certain way to reduce your chest movements during the treatment.
Look at the main radiotherapy section in CancerHelp UK for detailed information about radiotherapy. It tells you more about
Our lung cancer organisations page gives details of people who can give information about lung cancer radiotherapy. Some organisations can put you in touch with a cancer support group. Our lung cancer reading list has information about books and leaflets on lung cancer treatments.
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