[Radiotherapy for outpatients]

Radiotherapy can be done on an outpatient basis depending on the patient's cancer stage, radiation method, concurrent therapy, treatment purpose and general condition. Daily treatment time takes only about 1 minute, but the patient has to come 5 times a week for about 6 weeks for radical treatment and about 3 weeks for palliative treatment. If treated with radiotherapy alone, most patients suffer no severe adverse effects in their daily life. Therefore, radiotherapy can be done on an outpatient basis only if the patient is able to come frequently to the clinic for several weeks. Breast cancer patients commonly undergo radiotherapy in the outpatient clinic, such as breast conserving therapy, postoperative therapy and radiotherapy for local recurrence after mastectomy. Prostate cancer is also commonly treated with radical radiotherapy, postoperative therapy and radiotherapy for local recurrence after prostatectomy. Usually, postoperative irradiation for other cancers and radiotherapy for bone metastases are also undergone on an outpatient basis. During outpatient treatment, it is important to predict and avoid severe normal tissue reactions to radiotherapy, such as myelosuppression and/or pneumonitis, before they are apparent by watching the patient carefully.