radiotherapy centre - magnetic resonance therapy

When Should You Seek Specialist Medical Treatments Abroad?

A diagnosis of cancer can often change one’s relationship with time. The early stages of testing and treatment planning can often be hectic and overwhelming, but there is also a natural desire to start treatment as soon as possible to maximise your options.

There can be delays, either to allow for second opinions or due to the availability of certain types of specialist treatments which could be particularly helpful in your situation.

At that point, there are usually various options available, but one decision a growing number of people are making is to seek medical treatment from specialists abroad.

Our international radiotherapy centre is designed to make your medical care in Austria as simple and stress-free as possible. We offer detailed treatment plans, itineraries, help with transport and accommodation, and help you navigate the process of arranging your stay in Vienna.

When is it the best choice for your health? What should you consider before buying any tickets? Is it always an option? And what do you need to know before you fly out for treatment?

Why Do People Consider Medical Treatments Abroad?

Travelling abroad for medical treatment, often defined under the broad banner of “medical tourism”, happens for all sorts of different reasons, even discounting the mental and physical benefits of travelling abroad and seeing the sights in between appointments.

Whilst every patient that we see at our centre has their own story, we have found that many of the reasons for seeking medical care abroad can be grouped into one of three categories.

Second Opinions

One of the biggest reasons for seeking medical care abroad is to access the specialist expertise necessary for an effective second opinion.

In many medical fields, especially oncology, doctors will specialise in specific elements of practice, which means that both their diagnostic and treatment approaches can vary from practitioner to practitioner.

If an initial treatment plan suggests that surgery or a lengthy course of chemotherapy would be the only options, a second opinion may find that a targeted radiotherapy course could be considered as an alternative treatment option in some cases..

In particular, some rare conditions such as rarer types of cancer may require a second opinion from an oncologist with experience treating it.

Faster Care

In some regions, patients may face longer waiting times or have limited access to certain specialist treatments, prompting them to explore treatment options elsewhere.

In some cases, domestic private cancer care can be more expensive than travelling, particularly for other residents of the European Union, and this can make a trip to Austria the best way to access the care you need as soon as possible.

More Options

Not every area has the same access to treatment options, and this can affect the recommendations an oncologist and cancer care team can offer.

For example, if highly accurate high-dose radiotherapy is unavailable, the team may suggest surgery followed by a broader course of radiotherapy to target any remaining cancer cells.

Having access to a wider range of treatment options may help patients and their medical teams choose the most appropriate treatment approach for their individual circumstances.

What Should You Consider Before Travelling Abroad For Treatment?

As with any other cancer treatment, there is a lot to consider, and it is worth asking your cancer team about any questions you have concerning treatment or the plan for how you will receive it.

Here are some of the most important factors to consider before travelling internationally.

Doctor’s Advice And Procedure

Every country of departure and destination has their own laws and guidance surrounding second opinions and travelling abroad for the purpose of seeking medical treatment, and it is very important to seek advice from your doctor and let them know of your plans.

In some cases, funding can be available, or your treatment plan qualifies under a relevant medical insurance scheme, whilst in other cases you may need to pay the full amount. All of this can be discussed with your potential international clinic.

Is It Safe To Travel?

Depending on the progression of your cancer or the effects of other treatments, travelling to an international clinic may require additional interventions or arrangements following a fitness to fly assessment.

How Will Your Aftercare Be Managed?

Given the schedule of any cancer treatment, it is important to know what your next steps will be following the last appointment, how long you will stay in the country you are receiving treatment and how you will know you are medically cleared and healthy enough to travel back home.

Oncology Patients - radiotherapy

How Is Radiotherapy Used To Treat Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is one of the more prominent cancers and has a high profile because it is a male-specific disease. Radiotherapy is commonly involved in treating the condition, but the exact way it is used may vary as part of a tailored patient-specific treatment programme.

The disease can affect any man, but certain characteristics increase the risk factors:

  • Being aged over 50
  • A family history of the disease
  • Men of African or Caribbean heritage are known to have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
  • A family history of DNA changes, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2
  • Obesity
  • Smoking

How Do Prostate Cancer Rates Vary In Europe?

These factors are one element of variance, although there are also significant differences between countries. For example, the latest (2024) data on incidences of prostate cancer in the EU shows that:

  • Here in Austria, the rate is 151.1 per 100,000 in men aged up to 85
  • Major countries where the rate is lower include Germany (133.1), Spain (131.3) and Italy (129.8)
  • Most of the highest rates are in more northerly European countries, with five countries – Norway, Sweden and the Baltic states – having an incidence of over 200
  • Lithuania has the highest rate of all at 266.6
  • Romania has the lowest rate at 99.0, followed by Bulgaria at 100.2

Why the rate varies as much as it does is not entirely clear. For example, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries have a smaller proportion of black people in their population than countries like France, where the rate is 167.7.

Whatever the cause, the earlier the diagnosis takes place, the better the prospect for the patients. This can also determine how radiotherapy may be used to treat the cancer.

For example, in a late diagnosis in which secondary cancer is present, radiotherapy may be used to deal with the fact that the cancer is present in several different parts of the body. In such cases, it is applied to the prostate as well as to the other affected areas.

What Are The Common Ways Primary Prostate Cancer Is Treated?

For primary prostate cancer, the main treatment options are:

  • Surveillance, used in cases where the cancer is progressing slowly and no major treatment may be necessary, at least for the time being
  • Surgery to remove the prostate
  • Radiotherapy to shrink the tumour
  • Occasionally, other therapies, such as chemotherapy or hormonal therapies, may be tried

If surgery has taken place to remove the prostate, a form of radiotherapy called adjuvant radiotherapy may be used.

This involves using radiation to attack and disrupt the DNA of any remaining cancer cells that may be present and reduce the chances of the disease recurring.

If radiotherapy is being used to shrink the tumour, the same principle applies, with the radiation damaging the cell DNA, which restricts the capacity of the cells to survive and divide.

The preferred method of treatment is something that will be decided between you and your oncologist at our radiotherapy centre, who will explain the situation and the options available to you.

If you do have surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, this can have significant after-effects.

Some of these are the shorter-term side-effects normally associated with radiotherapy, such as fatigue and nausea, which can also apply if radiotherapy is used to shrink a tumour without surgery being used.

However, it can also include problems with sexual function, which may be long-lasting if the prostate has been removed.

In any event, men who may wish to have children in the future should discuss fertility preservation options, such as sperm banking, with their care team before treatment begins.

Is Prostate Cancer Treated With Internal Or External Radiotherapy?

There are two types of radiotherapy used to tackle prostate cancer.

  • External beam radiotherapy, which involves the patient lying on a table while the machine moves around them and delivers powerful beams of radiation to the affected area
  • Brachytherapy, which involves injecting a radioactive substance into the affected area to deliver radiation

The chosen method will be decided between the patient and the oncologist. This places the emphasis firmly on ensuring that there is patient consent and understanding, as well as tailoring the treatment to each patient.

Among the variables involved in the decision are:

  • The age and general health of the patient
  • The size and precise location of the cancer
  • How advanced the cancer is
  • Considerations relating to underlying causes such as a family history of the disease

Each of these and other matters will vary from patient to patient, so if you are seeking prostate cancer treatment, you can be assured that the approach we take will be sensitive, collaborative and, most of all, personal.

Will Radiotherapy Be Provided In Fewer Doses In The Future?

Ever since the birth of fractionated external beam radiotherapy made cancer treatment possible, there have been constant debates and examinations into how to properly dose and schedule treatment.

The goal of radiotherapy is to be unintrusive, and treatment plans are designed to maximise the effectiveness of radiation exposure in the destruction of cancer cells and tumours whilst preserving healthy tissue and minimising side effects.

Exactly how long a course is can vary depending on the recommended total dose of radiation, with courses varying from a single dose to dozens of doses taking place over several months.

Whatever the case is and your situation, we will help to guide you every step of the way through the use of advanced methodologies, state-of-the-art equipment and a holistic multidisciplinary approach to every aspect of care.

One fascinating trend that has been explored in recent years is high-dose targeted radiotherapy, which uses highly advanced linear accelerators to significantly shorten treatment times whilst minimising potential side effects.

The recent HERMES study undertaken by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity suggests that the treatment times and treatment sessions could be potentially halved by using highly accurate LINAC systems and higher doses of radiation without affecting safety or efficacy.

To explain why, it is important to explain why radiotherapy is fractionated in the first place and the specifics of the study.

What Is Fractionated Radiotherapy?

The concept of fractionation is the division of a total dose of radiation into multiple smaller doses, sometimes as few as five but can be over 30 or more depending on the type of treatment.

The principle behind fractionation is that cancer cells are more vulnerable to radiation than healthy cells, which causes their DNA to be destroyed and for them to die faster than healthy cells.

However, radiation will kill healthy cells at a high enough dose, so the goal of fractionated radiotherapy is to give healthy cells a chance to recover from the damage done to DNA and to have fewer toxic effects on healthy cells.

Whilst the exact fractions will vary depending on the cancer, oncologist, machine and overall guidelines, a common fractionation schedule will divide the total radiation dose into 30 daily radiotherapy sessions taking place every weekday over six weeks.

Sometimes there are more smaller doses (hyperfractionation) or fewer, higher doses (hypofractionation), depending on the type of cancer, its location, its stage and other factors which require a more aggressive approach.

What Did The HERMES Study Prove About Radiotherapy?

The HERMES study was a trial to determine whether a total radiation dose could be delivered as safely in far higher fractions using accurate MRI-guided external beams.

The focus was on men with localised prostate cancer, and divided 46 volunteers into two control groups; 24 men would have a standard five-session radiotherapy treatment over 14 days, whilst the other 22 would have just two doses over eight days.

The system used was an MRI-guided LINAC machine, which allowed for precisely guided radiotherapy, and the study would determine not only the effectiveness of treatment, but how it affected bowel and urinary function, two common side effects of prostate cancer treatment.

The study found very few differences between the two treatment approaches; moderate side effects were seen roughly equally in both groups, bowel side effects were low overall, and the only difference was slightly milder bowel side effects in the higher-dose group.

Whilst limited in scope, and thus would require a much larger trial to confirm its findings, the HERMES study demonstrates the potential for higher-dose, highly accurate short-term treatments.

Why Are Fewer Doses Better In Radiation?

The biggest benefit of having fewer doses is not seen in the study, which focused on the efficacy of treatment, but on the wider context of having radiotherapy treatment.

More doses means more appointments, more travel, more hospital visits and more disruption to your everyday life. If you have travelled abroad for the best treatment possible, more doses means a longer stay in the country away from home and away from a support group that may not be able to visit all the time.

If the results of the HERMES study translate not only to a wider population but also to more cancer treatments, the benefits to quality of life are potentially astonishing, reducing the time spent being treated, removing cancers more quickly and increasing the availability of treatment for others.

The principle is similar to that used for stereotactic radiosurgery, where brain tumours can be removed in a single session thanks to highly precise and powerful doses of radiation.

heterotope ossifikation

Is Radiotherapy Often Used To Treat Heterotopic Ossification

Because radiotherapy is a powerful, long-term treatment, its use is typically targeted carefully to ensure that its benefits are maximised and are proportionate to the significance and severity of the condition they are intended to treat.

This means that radiotherapy is primarily used to treat cancer, but it can sometimes be used to treat non-malignant conditions when it is suitable to do so, and there is a proven evidence base that it can be used to significantly help.

One particularly interesting example of how radiotherapy can be used to help treat conditions other than cancer is heterotopic ossification, one of several non-malignant conditions alongside osteoarthritis, chronic pain and Ledderhose disease that radiotherapy can help treat.

How is this the case? What causes heterotopic ossification in the first case? Can radiotherapy always be used? And what are the alternatives if it cannot?

What Is Heterotopic Ossification?

An inflammatory disease that can cause serious pain and decreased range of motion, heterotopic ossification (HO) is the growth of bone where it should not be, almost always replacing soft tissue or muscles.

It is sometimes mistaken for bone spurs, fragments or chips, in part because both HO most commonly emerge as a result of a traumatic injury, a response to surgery or have no cause at all.

It can vary in severity from a barely noticeable lump to a significant growth that restricts your range of motion, often requiring surgery to remove.

What is known in all cases, however, is that anyone who has experienced HO bone growth is at risk of it happening again, meaning that treatment is needed not only to remove the bone but also to prevent it from regrowing.

What Causes Heterotopic Ossification?

There are two different types of heterotypic ossification, which vary not only in root cause but also in severity.

The most common is nongenetic heterotopic ossification, which is caused by a traumatic injury that your body rebuilds too effectively.

They often occur following an accident which affects your joints, your head, your neck, your pelvis or anywhere else you are most likely to be injured, but they can also emerge as a response to the trauma inherent to surgery.

Sometimes it can grow for no reason at all, which can sometimes cause concern as the ossification is confused for cancer growth before it is tested and is ultimately benign.

Bone growth due to injury or surgery is not uncommon, happening in a third of people who have hip replacement surgery or treatment for a major tibia or fibula fracture in the leg. Most of these will not be noticeable, however.

Alternatively, HO can also be genetic in origin, most notably found with the very rare disorder fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), which causes bones to progressively form in connective tissue whenever it flares up.

Can Radiotherapy Always Help To Treat Heterotopic Ossification?

If bone growth caused by heterotopic ossification is causing problems, there are treatments that can help to cure it or prevent further bone growth, discomfort and pain.

Radiotherapy is not required for every case of heterotopic ossification. Many mild cases can be managed conservatively, and some areas of heterotopic ossification cause few or no symptoms.

Radiotherapy is most commonly considered for patients at higher risk of recurrence, particularly following orthopaedic surgery such as hip replacement or previous surgical removal of heterotopic bone.

It is primarily used as a preventive treatment, particularly before surgery. A single dose of radiation is applied on the morning of the operation to stop the bone from growing in soft tissue and potentially causing damage to joint mobility.

It can also be used in the days following surgery, where the goal is to minimise the growth of bone in the wrong parts of your body.

As a result, it is typically used as an adjunctive therapy in combination with other treatments to ensure the best possible recovery.

What Treatments Are Used To Treat Heterotopic Ossification?

Alongside other preventative measures such as physiotherapy, bisphosphonates or ibuprofen, the main treatment to remove heterotopic ossification entirely is surgery.

As there is a risk that this surgery can also cause HO to form again, it is typically only used in cases where the bone growth has caused chronic pain or significant restrictions in movement, with radiotherapy used to reduce the chance of bone regrowth.

You typically need to wait until the bone has completely grown before it can be surgically removed, otherwise it will simply grow back and require further surgery.

This is particularly the case with genetically caused heterotopic ossification, such as that caused by FOP.

Radiotherapy can help to minimise bone growth by stopping bone cells from growing and dividing. As it is a very quick treatment that is accessible at many hospitals or nearby clinics, it has become best practice in order to assist with mobility.

Radiotherapy Centre - elbow pain

How Can Low Dose Radiotherapy Tackle Severe Elbow Pain?

The use of radiotherapy can play a critical role in fighting cancer, using radiation to disrupt the DNA of cancer cells and bringing benefits ranging from effective palliative care through to full remission from the disease, when patients can celebrate being cancer-free.

However, radiotherapy can have other uses as well. It can be used for shrinking benign tumours that can place pressure on the brain or other organs, as well as helping with joint pain in various places around the body. Our radiotherapy centre can treat this as well.

The last of these issues can manifest in many ways. A good example of this is pain in the elbow or forearm area. This can have various causes:

  • Arthritis, including osteoarthritis
  • Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) leading to conditions such as tendonitis, bursitis or a pinched nerve
  • Trauma, such as fractures, sprains, severe bruising from an impact, or a dislocation
  • Bone spurs and other skeletal irregularities

What Are the Causes Elbow And Forearm Pain?

The cause of the problem will determine the nature of the treatment. For example, in the case of a fracture, sprain, bruising or dislocation, the natural healing process may be enough to ensure that the pain soon dissipates and full function returns.

Similarly, RSI conditions of the wrist, elbow and forearm can usually be resolved with rest, cold compresses and anti-inflammatories.

However, other conditions, especially those caused by arthritis, will persist and not go away in time, no matter how they are treated. This means that ongoing treatments of various kinds can be used, such as:

  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Physical therapy
  • Surgery
  • Steroids
  • Disease-modifying drugs

All of these may prove helpful, but low-dose radiotherapy can also be used to help patients. This involves a far lower amount of radiation being used, which is still sufficient to bring significant relief for sufferers.

How Does Low-Dose Therapy Ease Pain And Inflammation?

Low-dose radiotherapy is thought to work primarily by reducing inflammatory activity within affected tissues. It can influence inflammatory cells and signalling pathways that contribute to pain, swelling and stiffness, helping to provide long-term symptom relief.

Low-dose radiotherapy will never be used as the first resort, but when the problem is persistent, as arthritis is, it may prove very effective in bringing relief.

The way this is delivered is through external beam radiotherapy, which is different from the kinds and intensities of radiotherapy that we would provide in other circumstances.

For example, it is very unlike stereotactic radiotherapy, which is a technique aimed at firing intense beams of high-level radiation at small areas while sparing surrounding tissue. Nor does it involve brachytherapy, where radioactive substances are injected.

Most importantly, because the dose is far lower than the levels involved in shrinking tumours or disrupting cancer cells, patients will not have to endure any of the side-effects of high-dose radiotherapy such as tiredness, hair loss, diminished appetite or nausea.

The only effects you may feel can be some very slight skin irritation, like a mild case of sunburn.

Not only does this mean that patients do not suffer additional unpleasant disruptions to their lives, but it also means people who might be too frail to undergo more aggressive radiotherapy can easily handle this modest level of radiation.

Why Is Radiotherapy Often Beneficial For Arthritis Sufferers?

Low-dose radiotherapy can provide particular benefits for osteoarthritis sufferers. This is the most common type of arthritis to afflict the elbow joint, as well as the hands and wrist and, by extension, the forearm.

Radiotherapy can be particularly useful if patients are unable to benefit from some treatments, such as having a medical condition that precludes the use of certain anti-inflammatory drugs.

Among these conditions are:

  • Ulcers
  • Kidney problems
  • Allergies to certain medications

Once again, a key benefit is that the radiation impedes the inflammatory mechanisms, which is beneficial as inflammation is a major source of pain in the elbow joint.

Because arthritis cannot be fully cured, the radiotherapy will not make it disappear forever. This means that those suffering from arthritis may need to continue having regular low-dose radiotherapy sessions and taking other steps to ease discomfort.

However, because of the lack of side effects, it is perfectly possible to have multiple and regular treatment sessions as required to provide ongoing relief.

The normal approach to treatment is to have around six sessions over the space of a few weeks, each lasting just a few minutes. It is simple and gentle, but the benefits are extensive.

In this respect, low-dose radiotherapy can help different people whose conditions and ages differ. Arthritis mainly affects older people, but it can occasionally happen in early life.

Because low-dose radiotherapy is generally well tolerated, it may be suitable for many patients who have not achieved sufficient relief from other treatments.

Suitability should always be assessed by a specialist team on an individual basis.

novocure technology - Cancer Patient on a Wheelchair

What Kinds Of Leukaemia Are Treated With Radiotherapy?

Leukaemia is a very particular category of cancer, as it is found not in one location in the body, but in the blood and bone marrow. It exists in various forms, not all of which are treated using radiotherapy.

This means that our radiotherapy centre can treat some forms of leukaemia this way, while we will provide other treatments, such as chemotherapy, for other types.

Most cancers are specific to a certain area and are labelled as such, examples being lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer and so on, although the specific forms will have their own names; for instance, brain tumours may be astrocytomas or oligodendrogliomas.

These cancers may, of course, spread through a process called metastasis, progressing from primary cancers located in one area of the body to secondary cancers, where cancerous cells will migrate and manifest elsewhere.

What Are The Different Types Of Leukaemia?

By contrast, as a blood and bone marrow cancer, leukaemia by its very nature is found all over the body, wherever there are bones or blood vessels, but it does come in different forms. Common types include:

  • Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)
  • Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)
  • Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML)
  • Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
  • Acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL)
  • Acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL)
  • Hairy cell leukaemia (where abnormal white blood cells look hairy under a microscope)

All of them arise from mutations in the marrow, where both red and white blood cells are made. Each type of leukaemia affects different blood cells.

For example, AML is characterised by the rapid production of abnormal myeloid cells in the bone marrow, which interferes with the production of healthy blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

Acute forms of leukaemia involve fast-progressing cancer, while chronic types see slower progression.

In most cases, treatment is carried out using chemotherapy. However, radiotherapy is often used to treat types like ALL, AML and CLL. It is not used for CML and some other, less common forms of leukaemia.

What Types Of Radiotherapy Are Used To Treat Leukaemia?

Different kinds of radiotherapy can be used in each case. For example, in the case of ALL, cranial radiotherapy may be used to prevent leukaemia cells from reaching the brain.

This is used because most forms of chemotherapy do not reach the brain, although there are means of delivering chemotherapy that can do this.

External beam radiotherapy can be used for total body irradiation treatment for some forms of leukaemia, which can be a precursor to a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.

In the case of AML, whole body irradiation is often used ahead of stem cell treatment or a bone marrow transplant. Unlike other kinds of cancer, leukaemia cannot be removed by surgery in the way that a tumour may be excised.

Other reasons for using radiotherapy against AML include tackling a lump that has formed inside the bone marrow, sometimes known as a myeloid sarcoma, as well as for treatment on the brain and spinal cord if AML spreads there, although this is rare.

These types of radiotherapy differ from the stereotactic radiosurgery used for other forms of cancer, such as brain tumours or cancers located close to other sensitive organs.

In those cases, the purpose of using very precise radiation is to direct powerful beams at very specific locations. This maximises the impact on the cancer while minimising exposure for sensitive tissue nearby.

Full-body radiation does not work in the same way. In this case, the dose is lower to prevent serious harm to healthy tissue, while covering a wide area due to the fact that leukaemia will be present throughout the blood and marrow.

How Can You Prepare For Leukaemia Treatment?

If you have been diagnosed with leukaemia, our oncologists will talk you through the treatment options and processes. It may be that you will have chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of both.

As with any cancer treatment, we will seek to provide personalised care that will help you as an individual. This includes helping you with preparation, personal and moral support, practical issues and aftercare, as well as the treatment itself.

Among the factors determining your treatment will be:

  • The type of leukaemia
  • How early it has been diagnosed
  • Your age
  • Your general health
  • Your medical history
  • Genetic factors that may make certain therapies more or less effective

Part of the wider treatment programme will be help and advice for dealing with the side-effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which can both include symptoms such as nausea, hair loss and tiredness.

Whatever your diagnosis, we can provide the best private radiotherapy care for you, using the best expertise and the latest equipment, ensuring that we can deliver a tailored treatment plan to maximise the chances of giving you the best possible outcome.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for leukaemia on the Amethyst Group website.

What Are The Best Ways To Aid Recovery From Radiotherapy?

Much like how cancer is a very unusual disease that will affect everyone in quite distinct ways, how cancer treatments will affect you might feel different from one person to another.

When you arrive at our international radiotherapy centre, our multidisciplinary cancer care team will focus not only on planning and executing the primary course of treatment but also on helping you with recovery from the cancer itself and how you feel during treatment.

Exactly how you will feel will depend on your particular diagnosis, the intensity of your treatment, your treatment plan and your overall health, but there are some aspects of treatment that are relatively consistent.

Find out more about what to expect during and after radiotherapy treatment, what you and your cancer team can do to help you recover, and other expectations you should have about radiotherapy.

How Will You Feel During Radiotherapy Treatment?

It can be difficult to predict how you will feel during radiotherapy, but there are some trends and common elements that a lot of people receiving radiotherapy treatment will experience.

In many cases, people will not feel effects from the treatment at all, whilst others will notice hair loss where the beam hits, skin reactions, tiredness and nausea.

Many side effects are temporary and manageable, although experiences vary depending on the area being treated and the type of radiotherapy used.

If you do experience any effects from treatment, they can compound as the treatment progresses and can sometimes linger for a few weeks after the treatment ends.

For example, if you feel more tired and fatigued as your body works harder to recover from cancer, that tiredness may come in waves or can intensify as the course of treatment continues.

Your body may continue recovering from the effects of treatment for several weeks after radiotherapy ends.

All of this is natural, and you are the best judge of how you feel. Everyone has a different cancer treatment journey that may differ from your own.

What Can You And Your Cancer Team Do To Help Ease Recovery From Cancer Treatment?

Your cancer team will be aware of how you are likely to feel during your treatment, and most will take a holistic approach to ensuring that you are as ready as possible for treatment, you recover as completely and fully as possible, and you have support for your needs irrespective of how they manifest.

Whilst the specifics of these needs will vary from person to person, and the team will often adjust to help meet your specific needs, these can include:

As they are specialists who have treated countless people and supported them through their treatment, your cancer care team will know what you are likely to expect and experience, and can provide tailored advice and support.

In particular, they can help you with the end of treatment, where you are likely to need some time to recover between your last treatment session and your follow-up appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Radiotherapy Recovery

There are naturally a lot of questions you may wonder about your treatment and your recovery. Here are answers to some of the most common ones.

Is Radiotherapy Painful?

Radiotherapy is not painful, although depending on where you are being treated, it can be uncomfortable getting into position for treatment.

Can I Eat Or Drink Before Radiotherapy?

Usually, you can eat and drink before appointments, and it is important to ensure you bring snacks and a bottle of water with you to your appointment, especially if you are diabetic and need to manage your blood sugar.

Your cancer team may require you to drink certain amounts of water during your treatment or go nil by mouth, generally because this can affect the position of a tumour in certain cases that would need to be factored into treatment.

For example, if you have bladder cancer, you may be asked to empty your bladder and then drink a set amount of water to ensure your bladder is at a certain size to make treatment effective.

How Long Does Radiotherapy Take?

You will typically have your radiotherapy treatment split into a number of smaller sessions, usually undertaken every weekday, but each individual session typically takes less than an hour.

Most of this is getting you into position, and the actual treatment time is often less than ten minutes.

radiotherapy centre - man working on laptop computer at office

Should You Continue To Work During Radiotherapy Treatment?

What makes a cancer treatment so impactful is not just the effects of the disease itself or the need for treatment, but how much it can affect your life.

This is particularly true if you are travelling internationally for specialist treatment, and many people notice that their personal, social and professional lives will change over the course of treatment.

To what extent it affects you depends significantly on your diagnosis, your overall health and your individual circumstances. Some people find work helps connect them to the other critical parts of their life, whilst in other cases it is simply not possible.

It is a complex debate, and one to discuss with your cancer care team, but here are some of the biggest factors that may affect your decision to keep up with your work and social life during radiotherapy treatment.

When Is Working During Radiotherapy Possible?

Unlike surgery, where you must spend a considerable amount of time off to allow scars to heal and to rehabilitate, and unlike chemotherapy, where there are aspects of the treatment that can affect your ability to share a workplace with others, some radiotherapy courses will allow you to keep working.

In some cases, you can work as normal, whilst in other cases you may need additional accommodations to ensure you can attend appointments, work from home or have flexible hours to work around your fluctuating energy levels.

Ultimately, you are the best judge of how you feel, and if your workplace is willing to accommodate that and allow you to be flexible with how you do your work, it should be possible to work during your treatment.

In general, jobs that will allow you to work during radiotherapy:

  • Will primarily consist of duties that do not require heavy lifting or other manual labour.
  • Will have flexible working hours.
  • Will allow you to work from home or in a quiet space.
  • Allows you to defer or alter your job duties, prioritising ones you can do easily and allowing others to help you with jobs that are more difficult whilst receiving treatment.
  • Will offer adaptations and reasonable adjustments to help you continue to work.

Depending on where you are working and where you are receiving treatment, there may be certain legal protections for people undergoing radiotherapy treatment and carers for those undergoing cancer treatment more broadly.

The main exception to this is if you are receiving brachytherapy; whilst the radiation fades over time, you may be warned to avoid close contact with people, particularly children and pregnant women.

What Makes Working During Radiotherapy Treatment More Difficult?

It must be noted that whilst many employers can and will be flexible to ensure that you can return to work when you are able, this does not mean you are obligated or required to.

Some people will feel like they can navigate radiotherapy more easily than others, and certain job roles are easier to do whilst managing side effects and fatigue.

At a basic level, you will need to take some time off for each appointment you have, and given that some radiotherapy courses are every weekday, it could mean starting later or working reduced hours.

Depending on how you feel after each session, you may need time to recover, and that can sometimes mean that work could get in the way of the healing process. It can sometimes be better to take a work break and recover faster than to try to keep working and affect your treatment.

Another aspect is where you are receiving treatment. If you opt for treatment in another country, then you will need to ensure that you can work remotely and factor different time zones into your work schedule.

Finally, there are mental health considerations to think about; cancer treatment can provide a lot to think about, and if you are worried about your treatment and your performance at work, it can create stress and burnout that can be counterproductive.

Should You Keep Working During Your Radiotherapy Treatment?

Everyone is in a unique situation when it comes to their cancer diagnosis and radiotherapy schedule, and your treatment and job must work around you.

Some people find it really helpful to continue to work; they want to keep connected to their colleagues and work friends, enjoy what they do, benefit from the structure that having a job provides and feel well enough on most days to be comfortable staying in post.

However, if you do not feel that way or your job cannot be done safely whilst you are managing side effects, support is often available if you need it, if you need to take long-term sick leave whilst undergoing your treatment and during your recovery.

cancer treatment radiotherapy - Mid adult female nurse injecting patient for renal dialysis

How Can You Prepare For The End Of Your Cancer Treatment?

A significant part of cancer care is spent preparing for treatment, and this is true not only for the international cancer care centre arranging your treatment, developing treatment plans and calibrating equipment, but also for the person at the heart of treatment.

Typically, when people talk about preparing for cancer treatment, they are often referring to prehabilitation, or the steps you take physically and mentally with the help of your cancer team to get ready for cancer treatment.

However, what is just as important is getting ready for the end of cancer treatment, particularly since the end of cancer treatment has different meanings for different people depending on the goals of cancer care.

The end of cancer treatment is one of transition, particularly if you have travelled a long distance to seek out the best treatment possible. It will take time to adjust, adapt and return to a new normal in your life.

How can you best prepare for the end of cancer treatment? The key is to start thinking about it early, start asking questions and start making plans.

When Should You Start Thinking About The End Of Cancer Treatment?

You will generally be told at the start of your treatment plan when it will start, what you will need to do ahead of treatment, how long it will last, when the course of treatment will end and what you should expect next.

Much like how you should start preparing for the start of treatment once you get your diagnosis and your treatment plan is being finalised, you should start thinking about what comes after your treatment during its latter stages.

There will be a period of adjustment following your last appointment, and there will be a lot to take in, so it is worth asking questions with your cancer team as well as your primary doctor about what happens following care.

As well as this, it is worth thinking about how you currently feel and what you want to do first once you start to recover from cancer treatment. It is a gradual process, but this gives you a goal to work towards.

Finally, all of the prehabilitation and rehabilitation you have been doing up to this point, including changes to your diet, your fitness routine and working with a therapist to help you manage the sometimes complex emotions surrounding cancer care.

What Should You Ask Before The End Of Treatment?

At the end of your treatment, you will be given contact information for your cancer team, information on follow-up appointments (when they are and who will undertake them) and how often you will have additional tests to monitor your cancer:

  • How can you manage any side effects you have following the end of treatment?
  • Are there any late effects that you should expect?
  • What warning signs should you look for that you should inform your healthcare team about?
  • How can you keep yourself healthy and fit following treatment?
  • What can you do to reduce the chances of cancer returning?

 

Do You Need To Get Back To Everyday Life Immediately After Cancer Treatment?

For many people, the final radiotherapy appointment is not the end of cancer treatment, either medically or psychologically. Even if it is, there is always a period of adjustment, and you may find it difficult to return to your everyday life following treatment.

Given that radiotherapy works gradually to destroy cancer cells, your body will still feel the effects of treatment for at least a couple of weeks following treatment, whilst it works to recover and rejuvenate itself.

For this reason alone, you should avoid pushing yourself too hard following the end of cancer treatment. Listen to your body, give yourself time to rest and the space to feel everything you need to feel.

There will be days when you feel full of energy and able to build towards your future and what comes next, but there will also be days when you need to rest, recover and process your cancer journey.

Your cancer team will always be there, and you will be provided with contact information at the end of treatment, whilst your GP will not only be there to talk to if you have any concerns, but can also signpost support groups and clinics in your local area to visit when you return to your home country.

How Long Does It Take To Adjust To Life Following Cancer Treatment?

Much like it takes time to get used to cancer treatment, visiting the clinic regularly and staying in another country, it can take time to get used to no longer seeing your cancer team as often.

It usually takes a few weeks for your body to recover from your last treatment session, and several months to completely adjust and figure out what the new normal is for you.

Over time, your physical and mental health will improve, particularly if you take proactive steps to help your body, such as by following physiotherapy plans and nutritionally balanced diets.

Private radiotherapy - older woman with cancer

Could PET Scans Help To Tailor Radiotherapy Treatments?

Our private radiotherapy services offer the best treatments available, using the finest expertise, the most modern equipment and cutting-edge techniques, which combine with comprehensive aftercare to seek the best possible outcomes and provide strong support.

A key part of this process is providing individualised care. It is important that each patient receives treatment tailored to their needs, for several reasons:

  • Their own age, general health and other circumstances, such as genetic factors, will vary
  • Each cancer diagnosis will have its own characteristics, such as differing tumour sizes and locations
  • Some cases will be diagnosed at an early stage and some will be later, when the disease may have progressed to a late stage and metastasis may have taken place
  • Patients will be involved in the process and their needs and wishes will be taken into account

Apart from this, there is the important aspect of care for each individual as a person, appreciating that undergoing radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or other cancer treatments can be challenging for them and their loved ones in various ways.

The most important thing is to ensure the course of treatment is tailored to individual circumstances, which can be established by initial diagnostics.

What Is The Important New Development Involving PET Scans?

This does not just involve diagnosing a cancer, but establishing facts such as the precise location, size and extent of the disease and whether it has spread through metastasis from its original site to elsewhere in the body.

When planning and then delivering treatment, we use the best methods and devices available, but anyone with even a fleeting knowledge of treatments such as radiotherapy will be aware of the great advances in treatments and the resulting improved medical outcomes.

New developments in technology and medical understanding continue to offer advances and the next one may include the use of PET scans to enable the process of tailoring radiotherapy treatments for brain tumours to be taken to a new level.

According to Physics World, this possibility has emerged with the development of a new form of PET scanner, which uses a multiplex array to display images of more than one radiotracer at a time.

The publication stated that this could enable biologically individualised radiotherapy treatments to be carried out, improving patient outcomes by dealing with the problem of tumour heterogeneity, which involves variations in characteristics within tumours.

Such heterogeneity can pose a problem as some parts are more resistant to radiation than others, but existing scans, with just one screen, can only judge overall resistance, which could then, incorrectly, be assumed to be uniform across the tumour.

With multiple screens, this problem could be resolved, as different scans at different angles can be examined simultaneously, showing which parts of a tumour have higher resistance and where it is lower. This will aid the targeting of radiation in subsequent sessions.

How Can Better Scans Enhance Stereotactic Radiotherapy?

This will help maximise the precision with which the best radiotherapy technology can operate. Stereotactic radiotherapy is designed to do this, with very precise beams of high-intensity radiation.

A prime benefit of this, underlying the invention of the technique and the Gamma Knife tool for delivering it by Swedish neurosurgeon Lars Leksell in the 1960s, is to carry out radiotherapy on the brain and minimise radiation exposure to healthy tissue.

The capacity to focus radiation in this way marked a major advance, but better scanning enables this precision to be taken to even higher levels. Not only can the radiation be delivered more accurately and powerfully, but the targeting can be more accurate.

How Do 3D Scans Improve Radiotherapy?

Multiplex PET scans could add a new scanning advance to those that have already helped to improve radiotherapy. Among these are 3D scans, which enable a clearer picture of tumours and other areas with cancerous cells to be developed.

This is particularly useful when treating tumours with various forms of external beam radiation, as it enables effective targeting to fire beams of radiation at tumours from different angles.

Once again, the fact that there are systems capable of delivering radiotherapy in this way means that modern treatments can maximise the potential for both targeting and delivering radiation from different angles, enabling optimal dosages to be given in the right places.

The use of PET scans may be the next development in scanning technology, but there have already been huge enhancements in this area.

Where once diagnostics depended on biopsies and some guesswork and radiotherapy was relatively imprecise, great strides have been made.

These developments make it increasingly possible to provide tailored treatments, making the way we can respond to your condition truly individual, using the increasing volume and accuracy of scan data and other diagnostic information to plan your programme.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for brain tumours on the Amethyst Group website.