Below we describe the specialised types of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).
Learn more about:
Total body irradiation (TBI)
This is a form of radiation therapy that’s given to the whole body for blood cancers. Sometimes TBI is given with chemotherapy to prepare people for a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. You will be admitted to hospital to have TBI. A course of TBI may be given as one dose or as several doses over a few days. Your treatment team will talk to you about your treatment schedule and any side effects you may have.
Proton therapy
This uses radiation from protons rather than x-rays. Protons release most of their radiation within the cancer. This is different to standard EBRT beams, which pass through the area and nearby healthy tissue. Special machines called cyclotrons and synchrotrons are used to generate and deliver the protons. Proton therapy may be useful when the cancer is near sensitive areas, such as the brain stem or spinal cord.
Proton therapy is not yet available in Australia (as at September 2025), but there is government funding to allow Australians with specific cancer types to travel overseas for treatment. Your radiation oncologist
can advise if you are eligible and provide more details.
A centre to deliver proton therapy in Australia is under construction. When operational, the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research in Adelaide will treat some childhood and specific cancers.
Find information on radiation therapy in Arabic, Greek, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
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