If you have been diagnosed with a brain tumour, there are a variety of possible treatment options. One of these is radiotherapy. It may be used on its own, or in conjunction with other treatment options, such as neurosurgery or chemotherapy.
Radiotherapy uses controlled doses of invisible, high energy beams of charged particles to destroy tumour cells whilst causing as little damage as possible to surrounding cells.
It may be used:
During treatment you will lie on a treatment couch wearing a special radiotherapy mask that is attached to the couch. The radiographer will take a few minutes making sure you are positioned correctly, then will leave the room. Don't worry though, they'll still be able to see and hear you during the treatment and they'll be able to see and hear you too.
Some radiotherapy machines move around you during treatment; others will look more like a CT scanner.
Each treatment is called a 'fraction'. Each fraction can be between a few seconds to a few minutes. Your appointment, however, will be considerably longer, as medical staff will take time making sure you're in the right place.
The period of time over which your radiotherapy is spread varies from person to person, but it's common for it to last for around four to six weeks.
An example of a typical radiotherapy plan is treatment once a day, Monday to Friday, with a break at the weekends.
Before the treatment begins, your medical team will be able to tell you how many sessions you'll need, how often and over what period. They'll also be able to give you a guideline for how long each visit to the hospital should take.
The full dosage of radiation is carefully calculated, depending partly on the size, type and location of the tumour. It is then divided into fractions for two reasons:
Our FREE Brain Tumour Information Pack has been designed to help you through this difficult time, to guide you through the healthcare system, answer your questions, and reassure you that you're not alone so that you feel confident when discussing treatment and care options with your medical team.
Unfortunately, we're currently unable to send Information Packs by post. All the information contained in the pack can be found in the email you'll receive after completing this form.
Privacy notice
We will use the details you provided to send your information pack and any other resources you request and any relevant information in the future. Your details are held on our secure database and we promise never to share them with any other organisation for their marketing purposes. You can find out more in our privacy policy.
