Radiation therapy is the treatment of cancer with x-rays. At least 50% of patients with lung cancer will require radiation therapy at some point during their illness. Radiation therapy may be used with or without surgery in an attempt to eliminate the tumour (radical radiotherapy) or to reduce its size to relieve symptoms such as pain and shortness of breath. Individual patients respond differently to radiation therapy.
Before starting radiation therapy, you should discuss with your doctor the side effects that you are most likely to experience and the impact that they may have on your quality of life. The number of treatments varies from patient to patient. Each radiation therapy usually lasts between two and five minutes. You will not feel any pain or any other sensation during the treatment. Because you will need to be carefully positioned on a firm table before you receive each treatment, you should allow up to an hour for each radiation therapy treatment when scheduling transportation or other appointments.