Radiotherapy uses precisely aimed high-energy X-rays, or sometimes protons or electrons, to damage the DNA of cancer cells so that they can no longer divide. It is a local treatment: it works only where the beams are directed. About half of all people with cancer have radiotherapy at some stage.
It may be given with the aim of cure, alone or combined with surgery or chemotherapy, or to relieve symptoms such as pain or bleeding from advanced cancer. Normal tissue in the path of the beams is affected too, which causes side effects and limits the dose that can safely be given. An area can generally be treated to full dose only once.
What Radiotherapy involves
A radiation oncologist prescribes the dose and the target. At a planning appointment you lie on a CT scanner in the exact treatment position, sometimes in a custom mask for head and neck tumours or on a moulded support, and small permanent ink dots are made on the skin for alignment. MRI or PET images may be fused with the CT. Physicists and dosimetrists then compute a plan that shapes the dose around the tumour while sparing organs at risk; this takes several days to two weeks. Treatment is delivered on a linear accelerator, which rotates around you. Before each session, on-board imaging checks your position to within millimetres. A curative course is typically given daily, Monday to Friday, for 3 to 7 weeks; palliative courses are 1 to 10 sessions.
Who is a good candidate for Radiotherapy?
The recommendation comes from a tumour board. Whether radiotherapy is used, and how, depends on the cancer type, site and stage.
- After breast-conserving surgery, to lower the risk of recurrence in the breast
- As the main curative treatment, often with chemotherapy, for head and neck, cervical, anal, prostate, oesophageal and some lung cancers
- Before surgery for rectal cancer and some sarcomas
- Brain tumours and metastases, including stereotactic radiosurgery
- Small lung, liver or bone deposits treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy
- Relief of bone pain, bleeding, or pressure on the spinal cord or airways
It is usually not the right choice if:
- Pregnancy, in most situations
- An area that has previously received a full dose of radiation, except in specialised re-irradiation settings
- Certain rare genetic conditions with extreme radiation sensitivity
- Some connective tissue diseases such as active scleroderma, which raise the risk of severe reactions
- People who cannot lie still in the treatment position, unless supported with sedation or anaesthesia
Technique options
- IMRT and VMAT: Modulated beams that shape the dose tightly around complex targets. The current standard for most curative treatments.
- Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT): Daily imaging on the machine to confirm position.
- Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS and SBRT): Very high, precise doses in 1 to 5 sessions for small targets.
- Brachytherapy: Radioactive sources placed inside or beside the tumour, as in cervical and prostate cancer.
- Proton therapy: Deposits less dose beyond the target. Most valuable for children and tumours at the skull base; limited availability.
- Hypofractionation: Fewer, larger daily doses, now the standard for breast and prostate cancer, shortening courses to 1 to 4 weeks.
What happens during your treatment
Each session lasts 10 to 30 minutes, most of which is positioning; the beam is on for only a few minutes. You lie alone in the room, watched on camera, and can talk to the radiographers by intercom. You do not see or feel the radiation, and you are not radioactive afterwards. It is an outpatient treatment, and most people travel to and from their sessions independently.
Preparing for your trip
Courses run daily for anything from 1 to 7 weeks, with planning 1 to 2 weeks beforehand, so expect to live near the centre for the whole period. Shorter hypofractionated or stereotactic schedules are more practical for visitors. Side effects tend to peak in the last week and the fortnight after treatment ends, so do not plan to travel home the day after your final session. Follow-up and the management of late effects must be handed over to a doctor at home.
- Tell the doctor about medication, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any history of cold sores, keloid scars or autoimmune disease
- Avoid alcohol, aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers for a few days beforehand if your own doctor agrees, to reduce bruising
- Arrive without make-up on the treatment area and avoid sunbeds and strong sun for two weeks before
Recovery and results
Tiredness builds up during the course and lasts for some weeks afterwards. Other effects depend entirely on the area treated: skin redness and soreness, a sore mouth and swallowing difficulty for head and neck treatment, diarrhoea and bladder irritation for pelvic treatment, a cough for the chest. Most acute effects settle within 4 to 8 weeks. Late effects can appear months or years afterwards, including tissue firmness, a dry mouth, bowel or bladder changes and lymphoedema. The response is usually assessed by scan about 3 months after treatment.
- Back to everyday activity: Varies; fatigue and local effects peak near the end of the course
- When results show: Response assessed about 3 months after treatment
- How long they last: Depends on the cancer and the aim of treatment
Safety, risks and revision policy
Side effects are specific to the area treated, and your team should give you a list for your own plan.
- Fatigue that builds through the course
- A skin reaction in the treated area, from mild redness to moist peeling
- Inflammation of nearby linings: mouth, gullet, bowel or bladder
- Hair loss only within the treated field
- Long-term scarring or fibrosis of treated tissue
- Effects on fertility and hormonal function after pelvic treatment
- Damage to nearby organs, such as the lung, heart, bowel or nerves, at rates that depend on the dose
- A small risk of a second cancer in the treated area many years later
Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.
Cost of Radiotherapy in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Radiotherapy, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- Technique: conventional, IMRT or VMAT, stereotactic, brachytherapy or protons
- Number of sessions
- Planning imaging, including MRI and PET fusion
- Concurrent chemotherapy
- Accommodation for a stay lasting several weeks
Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does radiotherapy hurt?
No. The treatment itself cannot be felt. Discomfort comes later from side effects in the treated area.
Will I be radioactive?
Not after external beam radiotherapy. After permanent seed brachytherapy there are some simple temporary precautions.
Can I miss sessions?
Gaps can reduce the effectiveness of treatment for some cancers, so try to attend every session. The team will compensate for any unavoidable breaks.
Can I work during treatment?
Many people do, particularly in the early weeks. Tiredness in the later weeks may mean reducing your hours.
Are newer machines always better?
Technique should match the tumour. For many cancers, modern IMRT on a standard linac is excellent, and protons or branded systems add no proven advantage.