Find out more about the common types of radiotherapy treatment, the main roles within radiotherapy services, and radiotherapy centres in the West Midlands below:

Common types of radiotherapy treatment

• External radiotherapy, where a machine is used to carefully aim beams of radiation at the cancer
• Radiotherapy implants (brachytherapy), where small pieces of radioactive metal are (usually temporarily) placed inside the body near the cancer
• Radiotherapy injections, capsules or drinks (radioisotope therapy), where the patient swallows a radioactive liquid, or has it injected into their blood
• Intra-beam radiotherapy, where radiation is delivered directly at the tumour during breast cancer surgery.

There have been recent innovations in radiotherapy such as:

• Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) - an external beam radiotherapy treatment using high energy, thin rays to target the tumour lowering the risk of damage to healthy tissues.
• AI - Auto contouring radiotherapy – which has the potential to improve treatment quality and consistency, and to reduce the treatment pathway time for patients.

Main roles within radiotherapy services

• Consultant clinical oncologists (cancer doctors) are experts in radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other anticancer drugs used to treat people with different types of cancer. They specialise in planning and overseeing the course of treatment.

• Therapeutic radiographers are experts who are specially trained to give radiotherapy treatment. They help to plan the treatment for each patient, help the patient get into the right position for treatment, operate the radiotherapy machine to give the treatment, and give the patient information, practical care and support throughout treatment.

• Consultant therapeutic radiographers are highly trained experts in treating specific types of cancer with radiotherapy. They specialise in planning and giving radiotherapy and providing support. The patient may see a consultant radiographer instead of a clinical oncologist before and during radiotherapy treatment.

• Physicists are radiation experts who help plan patients’ radiotherapy treatments. They work out the amount of radiation needed and the best way of giving it. They also check that the machines give the planned dose of radiation in the correct way.

• Dosimetrists are experts who help to plan treatment. They work closely with the oncologist and physicist and make sure the treatment is given to the right area and in the best way. They also check treatment machines to make sure they are safe and accurate. Some dosimetrists help prepare radiotherapy masks and moulds, if needed.

Radiotherapy centres in the West Midlands

There are six NHS trust radiotherapy centres in the West Midlands:

• The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
• University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
• University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
• Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.