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Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is one of the central pillars of cancer therapy. It is a local measure; the tumour-destroying effect is concentrated on the cancer tissue accurate to the millimetre.

Radiotherapy is usually used in combination with surgery and/or drug therapy or chemotherapy. We also use radiotherapy successfully to alleviate pain caused by tumours and for the risk of bone fractures due to tumour metastases.

Course of a radiation therapy

Just like during an X-ray examination, you will not feel the penetration of the rays. The individual irradiation session only lasts a few minutes, the largest part of the time is needed for adjusting the equipment. The number of irradiations varies depending on the type of tumour and the purpose of the irradiation. A series of radiation therapy sessions during the initial treatment usually lasts between 5 and 8 weeks and is carried out every working day, i.e. it consists of 25 to 40 individual radiation sessions.

In principle, each individual irradiation is the same: dose, posture and entry points of the radiation are identical. During a series of irradiations, the irradiation field to be treated is often reduced step by step, i.e. new irradiation fields are drawn in.

Possible side effects

Side effects of radiation therapy build up slowly during the course of therapy and reach their peak shortly after the end of the radiation series. The type and severity of the side effects depend, apart from the radiation dose, strongly on the irradiated body region or possible additional diseases, body weight, etc.

We will explain the details to you in detail in the initial consultation. In addition, you will receive a leaflet that is tailored to the body region to be irradiated.