Radiotherapy Treatment Suite

The Radiotherapy treatment suite consists of two neighbouring units within the Colney Centre – the Waxham Unit and the Winterton Unit.  For your first appointment please park in car park J and then book in at the Colney Centre reception desk. One of the reception team will assist you on the day and also guide you through the process for your following appointments. You can view a map of the hospital car parks here.

Where to book in

To check-in for Radiotherapy, please go to the Colney Centre main reception desk and you will be directed to the appropriate Radiotherapy waiting area.

How is Radiotherapy Given?

Radiotherapy Planning

Your first appointment will be for Radiotherapy planning. This will involve having a planning CT scan in the Colney Centre. Following your appointment, the Oncology Doctor or Therapeutic Radiographer will use these x-ray images to precisely pinpoint the area to be treated. This appointment will take 30-60 minutes.

Radiotherapy Treatment

Each treatment session takes approximately 15-30 minutes (the actual radiation dose only takes a few minutes of this session). A course of treatment can vary in length from a single session to several weeks of treatment, attending on a daily basis. Throughout your treatment, you will be reviewed regularly by either your Oncology Doctor or a specially trained Therapeutic Radiographer.

What is radiotherapy?

Radiotherapy is the use high energy x-rays, to treat disease. It is usually used to treat malignant disease (cancer). It is sometimes used to treat benign tumours and some benign diseases (non-cancer).

  • 40% of all patients cured of cancer are cured by radiotherapy.
  • 50% of all cancer patients will benefit from receiving radiotherapy as part of their cancer management.

Radiotherapy is sometimes given with chemotherapy (chemoradiotherapy). Chemotherapy can enhance the effect of the radiotherapy and make the treatment more effective.

Radiotherapy cannot be seen or felt so the treatment is completely painless.

Treating a tumour with radiotherapy causes changes in the cells that stop them from growing. The dose of radiotherapy is worked out so that tumour cells are destroyed but healthy cells are able to repair and recover. Your treatment is carefully planned and tailored to you so that the effect on healthy cells is kept to a minimum.

Radiotherapy can be delivered in a single treatment or as a course of treatment. Splitting your treatment over a number of days or weeks allows larger doses of radiation to be given and reduces the amount of normal tissue being treated. This can help to reduce the side affects you may experience.

Your health care team will help you decide which treatment is most suitable for you. They will explain the planning and treatment procedures and any likely side effects..

Therapeutic Radiographers

Whilst in the Radiotherapy department you will be cared for by Therapeutic Radiographers. Therapeutic Radiographers carry out Radiotherapy planning and treatment. They also run clinics to support you whilst you are having a course of Radiotherapy.

Therapeutic Radiographers work very closely with the Oncology Doctors and the Radiotherapy Physics team.

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Information and Support

You will be reviewed regularly during your Radiotherapy treatment by specially trained Therapeutic Radiographers in the Macmillan Review Team. These Therapeutic Radiographers will provide advice and support on managing any side effects caused by your treatment. You may see your Oncology Doctor towards the end of your treatment.

How to find us – Colney Waxham Unit

For details about how to find us, how to get here and information about accessibility (including images), please click on the icon below:

Contact Details

If you have a question about your appointment bookings, please contact our Radiotherapy Scheduling Team on: 01603 288756

If you have a question about your Radiotherapy planning or treatment, please contact our Macmillan Review Team on 01603 289705 between 7.30am and 5.30pm.

You may need to leave a message and the team will call you back as soon as they are able. You can also email the review team at rt.review@nnuh.nhs.uk.

You will be provided with a booklet about your Radiotherapy which will give you more information on possible treatment side effects.

Get Involved

We are actively looking for Patient Experts to help us develop the service. If you can spare a few hours a month we would like to hear from you.

Various roles exist, including providing feedback on your experience, helping to write patient information leaflets or, for those with a little more time, being a full member of one of our regional project teams.

For more details please contact our Information & Support Advanced Radiographer on 01603 289705.

Patient Support Services

Macmillan Cancer Support and Radiotherapy

Macmillan Benefits Advice Service

Local advisors who can give support and information regarding money worries.

Big C Cancer Charity Support and Information Centre

The Big C offers many complimentary therapies, financial and emotional support, and support groups for people affected by all types of cancer.

Useful Information

Cancer Registration: Why it matters and what you need to know.