Radiation therapy (also known as radiotherapy) uses radiation to kill or damage cancer cells so they cannot grow, multiply or spread. It is used as the main treatment for basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) or squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) that are not suitable to be removed surgically, for large areas, or for people not fit enough for surgery. Sometimes radiation therapy is also used after surgery to reduce the chance of the cancer coming back or spreading.
Learn more about:
- How it is given
- Your treatment plan
- What to expect after treatment
- Video: What is radiation therapy?
How it is given
Radiation therapy to treat skin cancer is given from outside the body (externally). It may use low-energy x-rays from a superficial x-ray machine or high-energy x-rays from a machine called a linear accelerator or LINAC. Different techniques and types of radiation may be used.
You will have a separate planning session so the radiation therapy team can work out the best position for your body during treatment. Your treatment will usually start a couple of weeks after a planning session. During each treatment session, you will lie on a table under the radiation machine. Once you are in the correct position, the machine will rotate around you to deliver radiation to the area with the cancer. The process can take 10–20 minutes, but the treatment itself takes only a few minutes.
Your treatment plan
The number of treatments vary and may take 2–7 weeks to complete. Your treatment team will consider things such as the type and position of the skin cancer and your preferences and circumstances to tailor the best treatment course. Some people have 5 sessions a week for several weeks, while others may have a much shorter course of treatment.
What to expect after
Skin in the treatment area may become red, dry or moist, and sore 7–10 days after treatment starts, depending on how long you have treatment. This soreness may get worse after treatment has finished but it usually improves within 6 weeks. The treatment team will suggest creams or coverings to make you more comfortable.
For more on this, see our general section on Radiation therapy or find out more about the different types of skin cancer.
→ READ MORE: Life after treatment for skin cancer
Video: What is radiation therapy?
Watch this short video to learn more about radiation therapy.
Podcast: Making Treatment Decisions
Listen to more episodes from our podcast for people affected by cancer
Key resource
Download a PDF booklet on this topic.
A/Prof Victoria Mar, Director, Victorian Melanoma Service, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, VIC; Tracey Bilson, Consumer; Raelene Buchan, Consumer; Alison Button-Sloan, Consumer; Dr Margaret Chua, Radiation Oncologist, and the Skin Radiation Oncology team, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Prof Anne Cust, Deputy Director, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW, Chair, National Skin Cancer Committee, Cancer Council, and faculty member, Melanoma Institute Australia; A/Prof Paul Fishburn, Skin Cancer Doctor, Norwest Skin Cancer Centre, NSW and Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland; Danielle Goss, Melanoma Clinical Nurse Specialist, Amie St Clair Melanoma (part of Melanoma Institute Australia), Wagga Wagga, NSW; Louise Pellerade, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA: Dr Shireen Sidhu, Head of Dermatology, The Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Amelia Smit, Research Fellow – Melanoma and Skin Cancer, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW; Dr Tony Tonks, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Canberra Plastic Surgery, ACT.
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