Your First Visit

Your first visit to our offices will be for an Initial Consultation with a Radiation Oncologist. During the Consultation, the Radiation Oncologist will review your medical history and the events that led to your diagnosis, perform any pertinent exams, and discuss with you the use of Radiation Therapy as it specifically pertains to you. Treatment recommendations or any other treatment options, as well as in-depth explanation of the treatment process and possible risks, benefits and side-effects will also be discussed. If these are not forwarded by your referring physicians, you should bring all of your prior medical records, including surgical and pathology reports, referring physician letters and any pertinent diagnostic films or scans. Your family members are welcome to join you during this visit as well.

           
When visiting the Department of Radiation Oncology for the first time as a patient:

1. Have up to date insurance information with you for registration.
2. Have all referrals or authorizations with you when you arrive, if we do not receive them in advance.
3. Arrive 30 minutes prior to your appointment to complete any necessary paperwork or registration.
4. If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please contact our office (630) 856-7351 at least 24 hours in advance.

Your Second Visit

Radiation treatments are delivered in a very precise and accurate manner. On your second visit, the radiation beams and treatment plan are created specifically to the exact shape and dimension of your body, often to the precise dimension of certain internal organs as well. Careful pre-treatment planning is performed using sophisticated computer-aided technology during a treatment planning session as a Simulation. This procedure aids the Radiation Oncologist in preparing the treatment plan and is used to simulate the accuracy of the radiation beams before the actual treatment begins. Simulation may take from a half hour to about 2 hours.

The simulation process takes place after your initial consultation. It involves a special treatment-planning CT scan to provide images and data that are transferred to the radiation treatment planning computer. A customized head cast or Styrofoam (alpha cradle) may also be used to keep you in a comfortable position that can be exactly reproduced on a daily basis throughout the entire course of radiation treatments. Skin marks or tattoos may be placed at this time, again to ensure daily set-up reproducibility. Do not try to draw over any faded lines at home unless they will be completely gone before your next visit. If you do replace the marks, be sure to tell the Radiation Therapist at your next visit.

Following the simulation process, the Radiation Oncologist, with the help of a Dosimetrist and Physicist, prepare a radiation plan by defining the exact angles and shape of the radiation beams on the computer. The Radiation Oncologist may choose to use X-rays or an electron beam. Choosing which type of radiation to use depends on what type of cancer you have and on how deep into your body the Radiation Oncologist wants the radiation to penetrate. High-energy radiation is used to treat many types of cancer. Low-energy X-rays are used to treat some kinds of skin diseases. This entire process often takes several days.

For more information, please call the Cancer Resource Line at 630-856-7526.