Radiotherapy for colon cancer

Radiotherapy treats cancer by using high-energy rays to destroy the cancer cells, while doing as little harm as possible to normal cells.

Radiotherapy is rarely used to treat colon cancer except occasionally to shrink the cancer and relieve symptoms such as pain. This is called palliative radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy doesn’t make you radioactive and it’s perfectly safe for you to be with other people, including children, throughout your treatment.

How radiotherapy is given Back to top

Radiotherapy is usually given at a hospital outpatient clinic as a series of short daily treatments. The treatments are usually given each weekday with a rest at the weekend. How the treatment is given can vary, depending on what is considered to be most effective for your cancer and best for you. The course may last for just one week or a few weeks. Your doctor will discuss your treatment with you beforehand, including how it will be given and how long it will last.

Planning your treatment Back to top

To make sure that your radiotherapy is as effective as possible, it has to be carefully planned. Planning ensures the radiotherapy rays are aimed precisely at the cancer and cause the least possible damage to the surrounding healthy tissues. The treatment is planned by a specialist doctor known as a clinical oncologist. Planning is important and may take a few visits.

Marks may be drawn on your skin to help the radiographer, who gives you your treatment, to position you accurately and to show where the rays are to be directed. These marks must stay visible throughout your treatment, but they can be washed off once your course is over. At the beginning of your radiotherapy you will be told how to look after the skin in the area to be treated.

What happens in the treatment sessions

Before each session of radiotherapy, you’ll be carefully positioned on the couch, either sitting or lying. The radiographer will make sure that you are comfortable. During your treatment, which only takes a few minutes, you’ll be left alone in the room, but you are able to talk to the radiographer who will be watching you carefully. Radiotherapy is not painful, but you do have to be still for a few minutes during your treatment.

Side effects of radiotherapy for colon cancer Back to top

Radiotherapy to the bowel area can cause side effects such as diarrhoea|, feeling sick| (nausea) and tiredness|. It can also cause more specific side effects, such as inflammation of the bowel or bladder lining. These side effects can be mild or more troublesome, depending on the strength of the radiotherapy dose and the length of your treatment. Some radiotherapy side effects can be permanent. Your clinical oncologist will tell you what to expect, and you can ask your radiographer for advice if side effects are becoming a problem for you.