Overview

The team in charge of your treatment will tell you if you need radiotherapy.

We provide radiotherapy at the Cancer Centre at Guy's and Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup.

Our radiotherapy village at the Cancer Centre at Guy's is the first place in Europe to have radiotherapy machines above ground level. This helps to provide a lighter, more relaxing environment. Radiotherapy is usually given below ground.

The treatment suite offers a quiet environment and you can listen to music to help you relax.

You might be able to have radiotherapy closer to home at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup. Please speak to your medical team if you'd like to be treated there.

About radiotherapy treatment

Radiotherapy uses high energy X-rays (or similar rays) to treat cancer.

It damages your body's cells in the treatment area, killing cancer cells but allowing your normal cells to recover.

Side effects are usually only in the area that you are having treatment. 

Treatment and side effects vary depending on which part of your body is being treated. Our radiotherapy team can give you more information.

Treatment takes place over a number of days or weeks. This is so you only get small doses (fractions) of radiation. Your doctor will decide the amount of radiation and how many treatments you need.

Radiotherapy for benign conditions

Radiotherapy can also be used to treat benign (non-cancerous) tumours and conditions. Your medical team can provide more information on this.

Health information

Dimbleby Cancer Care can provide support and advice during your cancer treatment.

Team

Our team includes:

• therapeutic radiographers
• doctors
• nurses
• medical physicists
• radiotherapy physics dosimetrists

They will support you during your radiotherapy.

A clinical oncologist is a cancer doctor trained to use radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

A therapeutic radiographer gives you radiotherapy. They will help and advise during your treatment.

You'll see student radiographers in our department as we are a teaching hospital. The students are supervised by a therapeutic radiographer. Please tell your therapeutic radiographer if you do not want students to be at your appointments. We’ll always respect your choice.