Rapidarc imrt

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lily2
lily2 Member Posts: 44
edited September 2017 in Radiation Therapy - Before, During, and After

Hello, I was wondering if anyone is doing the RapidArc radiation treatments verses standard radiation. I was told each session is under two minutes verses 10-15 for standard radiation and that I would only need 2 x-rays each day of treatment verses up to 30 with standard .I was told the side effects would be less severe then with standard.Anyone doing this? side effects?




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  • Castigame
    Castigame Member Posts: 752
    edited September 2017

    Until I read this, I did not know I  was getting fancier radiation.  When I saw the machine it looked like something out of Sci Fi movie.   Big,  rotating and fancy calculation screens.   The machine is called Truebeam designed by Varian.  I just googled  Truebeam and rapidarc radiation therapy showed up.  I  have completed 30 sessions. Actually 28 sessions w Truebeam and 2 boosts with older machine due to  Hurricane Irma outttage. 

    I liked it because techs made fuss about more than 2 mm being off the beam lines. I liked it because it is known for more computer driven accuracy.  For what is worth, true malfunction which caused delay happened  only once. After all, the machine looks about $20 mil worth  at least so maintenance must be a big deal. 

    I had relatively easy  throughout the treatments.  Until half way only tint of pink. Upon completion, I had valid reddishness but no peeling or blisters. After rads are done, my underarm became raw as well as one other spot.  The other spot briefly blistered twice one at a time. Today is 2 wk post rads no more raw spots or blisters.  It looks that even when you get  16 sessions,   it  takes about two wks to heal. 

    I am Asian, 47, everage height and weight.  Yea I did get a decent size   second degree burn on my back about 17 yrs ago.  I am very happy about the equipment and what it did for me. 


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  • Canela
    Canela Member Posts: 26
    edited September 2017

    Huh, turns out this is the radiation I'm getting. Today was #16 and I've gotten some pinkness--mostly on my back. I'll occasionally feel some itchiness and pinpricks here and there. Yesterday I started getting some shooting pains by my drain scars--short, a couple times a day. RO attributed that to my tissue expander.

    I wouldn't say it's under 2 minutes...more like 5. 10 on days they do films.

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  • lily2
    lily2 Member Posts: 44
    edited September 2017

    Thanks ladies for responding . I start my first treatment tomorrow( 33) and hoping it's going to be a little gentler on my skin.I was told by my radiologist that this treatment is very accurate on just targeting the areas with cancer and very little if any healthy tissue is involved.I also learned that the lungs and heart are less exposed to the radiation compared to the standard traditional radiation that has been used for breast cancer.This treatment is much more expensive as well and I'm grateful that my insurance will cover the treatments.

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