I have just had my radiotherapy delayed - the hospital have called to say they need more time to plan as the tumour was too near the lung and they are concerned about lung damage … had anyone had any experience of this? thanks
Every radiotherapy plan is unique and is personalised for the patient.When a plan is created the aim is to give the maximum prescribed dose to the area the oncologist wants to treat whilst giving the minimum dose to underlying structures.In this case your lung is in danger of getting more dose than it should so they are re planning your treatment to eradicate this risk.
There are several ways they can reduce the dose to your lung such as changing the angles that the machine is set at, changing the size of the area being treated or adding special lead shielding ( contained in the head of the linear accelerator) to shield out the lung. Sometimes patients are asked to hold their breath but this would have to have been arranged so that your planning ct was done in breath hold.
Your radiotherapy team are being extra vigilant to ensure you get the best treatment.Every time a plan is tweaked it has to back into the independent checking system which is required by UK law which is why they are asking for extra time.Your plan also has to be signed off and approved by your oncologist before you start your treatment.
