Radiotherapy for melanoma

Radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells. You may have radiotherapy for advanced melanoma to shrink melanoma tumours and help to control symptoms.

You have radiotherapy treatment in the hospital radiotherapy department. You may have a single treatment. Or a course of five treatments a week for a number of weeks. The treatment is usually given once a day from Monday to Friday with a rest over the weekend. The amount of treatment you have depends on

• Whether you are also having other types of cancer treatment
• The part of the body being treated

Radiotherapy treatment has to be carefully planned. On your first visit, you lie under a large machine called a simulator.

This takes normal X-rays. The doctor uses it to work out where to give the treatment to kill the most cancer cells and miss as much healthy body tissue as possible.

Ink marks are made on your skin during the planning session. These marks are used to line up the radiotherapy machine every day when you have your treatment. So it is important not to wash them off. Your radiotherapy department may use a tiny pinprick tattoo instead of the ink marks. This is permanent, but is so small you can hardly see it.

The actual treatment only takes a few minutes. The radiographer will position you on the couch and make sure you are comfortable. You will be left alone while you have your treatment, but the radiographer will be able to hear and see you.

Radiotherapy does not hurt. You will not be able to feel it. But you will have to lie very still for a few minutes during the treatment.

Radiotherapy does not make you radioactive. It is perfectly safe to be with other people, including children, throughout your course of treatment.

Look at the radiotherapy section of CancerHelp UK for more information about radiotherapy and its side effects. The side effects vary depending on which part of your body is treated. Radiotherapy just to the skin does not have very many side effects. The skin may become slightly red and sore during the treatment period - like a mild to moderate sun burn. This begins to disappear once the treatment is over. If you have radiotherapy to a part of the body which has hair, you will have some hair loss. The hair will start to grow back some time after treatment has finished. But the regrowth may be patchy.

Look at the radiotherapy section in CancerHelp UK. It has a lot of general information about about this type of treatment including

• What radiotherapy involves
• How your radiotherapy treatment is planned
• Possible radiotherapy side effects
• Life during radiotherapy

Look at our general cancer organisations page for suggestions for organisations who can give you more information about radiotherapy. Our melanoma organisations page has information about where you can get support when you have treatment for melanoma.