Skin cancer treatment with radiotherapy

Radiotherapy often becomes a primary method of treatment for those patients with skin cancer who can’t undergo surgical treatment. In some cases, it also can be prescribed as a method of so-called adjuvant therapy, which helps patients decrease the probability of possible relapses. To treat skin cancer, oncologists might use many various ways of radiation therapy, including X-rays, photons, protons, or electrons. Also, in some cases, radiotherapy might become the primary treatment option for patients with skin cancer. Before starting the radiotherapy, the patient must undergo a procedure of 3D planning that helps to evaluate the most suitable conditions (dosage, patient’s posture, procedure time, etc. ) for future treatment sessions. Then, the patient is placed under massive apparatuses that point a beam of ionizing energy at the tumor, preventing it from further growth and development. Usually, a single treatment session might take between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, depending on the number and size of cancerous lesions. Mostly, patients undergo up to 15-40 treatment procedures in a single radiotherapy course, with each session performed approximately at the same time every day,  and rarely require any additional rest between the procedures.