Radiation Oncology Program at OhioHealth

Radiation Therapy — What You Can Expect

Step 1 — Your consultation appointment

During your first appointment, our focus is to learn about you and to determine if radiation oncology treatment is the right approach for you.

• A radiation oncology nurse will talk with you about your current and past medical history, review any medications you may be taking and answer your questions.
• A radiation oncologist will examine you, review your medical history, X-rays and test results, and order any additional tests, if needed. This physician will talk with you about how you could benefit from radiation therapy, explain the details of treatment and potential side effects, and answer any questions you may have.

Step 2 — Your treatment plan

If radiation is recommended and you decide to move forward, we create a treatment plan for you.

• These sessions, which we sometimes call simulation, help our radiation oncology team determine the best set-up for radiation beams.
• Treatment is unique to you, and our objective is to focus as much radiation as possible on the targeted area without affecting surrounding healthy tissue.

Step 3 — Beginning your treatment plan

Once planning is complete, we will schedule you for treatment.

• A member of our team will set your appointment up for the same time each day, Monday through Friday, throughout your course of treatment.
• Our priority is to minimize disruption to your daily routine to every extent possible while you are receiving radiation oncology treatments.