The frequency, duration, and timing of your radiation treatments depends on the type of brain or spine cancer you have and the type of radiation therapy you need:
- Many people are treated once a day, Monday through Friday, over several weeks. However, some people are recommended only one or a few treatments total. Your schedule depends on your specific diagnosis.
- The duration (total number of treatments) of your radiation therapy can vary, depending on your diagnosis and treatment goals.
- Most of each session will be spent getting your body into the correct position. For standard external radiation treatment, the actual treatment lasts just a few minutes, and total treatment time (door-to-door) is typically 30-45 minutes. For CyberKnife (CK) stereotactic radiosurgery, the actual treatment can take up to one hour, with total treatment time (door-to-door) up to 2 hours.
No matter what you experience, your care team can help ease the side effects of treatment. At least once a week, your radiation oncology team will meet with you to discuss your progress and any side affects you may have.
Radiation therapy for cancers of the brain and spine: How it works
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation such as X-rays to destroy cancer cells. Our radiation cancer doctors use the most advanced equipment and techniques. They target radiation beams to tumors, providing powerful treatment while avoiding damage to healthy tissue nearby.
Radiation therapy is considered local treatment because it focuses on the tumor or cancerous area, not on cancer in other parts of the body. The treatment goals of radiation therapy are to:
- Kill cancer cells and prevent them from spreading
- Destroy any cancer cells that may remain after other treatment. Radiation therapy given after surgery or another primary treatment is called adjuvant therapy.
- Lower the risk of cancer coming back (recurring) after treatment, either at the original tumor site (or nearby) or in other parts of the body
- Shrink or slow the growth of cancerous tumors that are inoperable (cannot be removed with surgery)
Published April 2018
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