Radiation therapy how much

Sometimes a definitive treatment requires going up to the limit of what the normal tissues around the tumor can handle, which can make for a long treatment with more side effects. If you have a family member or friend who underwent definitive radiotherapy for prostate cancer, you may have learned that the treatment required 7 or 8 weeks of daily therapy.

Thankfully, as we mentioned in a prior post, a general trend has been to use precision technology to give more dose per session safely, which means that even definitive radiotherapy courses are moving toward shorter commitments of time. The idea here is that surgery may remove a visible tumor, but that roots and stray cancer cells can be left behind. A middle intensity of radiation is quite effective at clearing out these leftovers after many cancer surgeries.

The most common example of this is in early-stage breast cancer, where a surgeon removes the lump of cancer and a medium dose of radiation is delivered to the remaining breast tissue to clear any leftover cancer cells.

Palliative radiotherapy refers to the lowest part of the intensity range. Rather, palliative radiotherapy is meant to improve the life of the patient by shrinking a tumor that is causing the patient to suffer.

Usually, a low dose of radiation is adequate to shrink a troublesome tumor and relieve a symptom like pain or bleeding. Furthermore, these low doses of radiotherapy have minimal side effects and can be delivered over short, convenient timeframes, so that the patient can spend less time in therapy and more time with their loved ones.

These categories are a helpful way to think about radiotherapy in all the different contexts that it is used, both alone and in combination with other treatments. This framework also helps us understand how one treatment can have the versatility to treat different cancers and across different stages of disease.

Sadly, many patients who need radiotherapy do not have access to it, and this occurs in both advanced and developing countries. For instance, among European countries, one out of every four patients who need radiotherapy do not have access to it 2.

And the situation is even worse in lower and middle income countries; one report found that only 4 out of of these developing countries had enough radiotherapy units to meet the needs of their population 3. Indeed, making sure that effective, affordable, life-saving radiotherapy is available to all the patients who need it is one of the major global population health challenges of our generation.

To round out our understanding of radiation dosing, there are two additional details worth mentioning. The first is that every cancer type has its own sensitivity to radiation. Some cancers, like lymphoma, are very vulnerable to radiation, while others, like soft tissue sarcoma, are relatively resistant. This can cause more side effects than giving the same dose over spread out over days or weeks into many treatments. The total dose of external radiation therapy is usually divided into smaller doses called fractions.

Most patients get radiation treatments daily, 5 days a week Monday through Friday for 5 to 8 weeks. Weekend rest breaks allow time for normal cells to recover. The total dose of radiation and the number of treatments is based on:. Other radiation schedules might be used in certain cases. In some cases, radiation might be given as 2 or more treatments each day.

Or you might have several weeks off in the middle of treatments so your body can recover while the cancer shrinks. Your doctor will talk to you about the best plan in your case. External radiation is a lot like getting a regular x-ray. The treatment itself is painless and takes only a few minutes. But each session can last 15 to 30 minutes because of the time it takes to set up the equipment and put you in the right position.

External radiation therapy is usually given with a machine called a linear accelerator which delivers a beam or multiple beams of radiation. The machine has a wide arm that extends over the treatment table. The radiation comes out of this arm. The radiation beams are invisible and you will not feel anything, but the machine will make noise.

Depending on the area being treated, you might need to undress, so wear clothes that are easy to take off and put on. You can talk with the therapist over an intercom. The machine will make clicking and whirring noises and might sometimes sound like a vacuum cleaner as it moves to aim the radiation beam from different angles. If you feel ill or uncomfortable during the treatment, tell the therapist right away.

The machine can be stopped at any time. In other cases, it may take weeks or months for your cancer to respond. Some people aren't helped by radiation therapy. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

Radiation therapy care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Radiation therapy Open pop-up dialog box Close. Radiation therapy External beam radiation uses high-powered beams of energy to kill cancer cells.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. External beam radiation therapy Open pop-up dialog box Close. External beam radiation therapy During external beam radiation therapy, you're positioned on a table and a large machine moves around you sending beams of radiation into precise points in your body.

Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Radiation therapy and you: Support for people with cancer. National Cancer Institute. Accessed April 2, Allied health care providers may be free of charge in the public system or may incur a cost if they are private providers. Your doctor or the radiation therapy centre may be able to advise you about your eligibility for government assistance for travel and accommodation.

You have the right to choose the radiation therapy centre who will provide your treatment based on your needs and considering all the costs involved. Many radiation therapy centres have accounts staff to talk you through these considerations. For most patients, an out of pocket cost gap , is the amount paid after the Medicare reimbursement is paid to you.

The reimbursement is usually paid within days into your bank account that is registered with Medicare. The Medicare Safety Net is a Federal Government health program that provides a higher Medicare benefit for eligible services, including radiation therapy, when a health consumer reaches a threshold of out of pocket costs gap payments.

This threshold depends on personal circumstances, for example, if the health consumer holds a concession card. The Medicare Safety Net thresholds and any reimbursements are reviewed annually on 1 January and calculated for the calendar year. Single individuals are automatically registered but families need to formally register with the program. The Medicare Safety Net provides an extra benefit to health consumers with high out of pocket medical treatment costs.

It reduces the amount of out of pocket costs for radiation therapy. The Medicare Safety Net does not reduce the direct cost of radiation therapy treatment. It results in a higher Medicare rebate, reducing the out of pocket cost to you.