Betsey's radiation therapy

Ellen and I had a rare opportunity yesterday to be present at Betsey's radiation treatment. It was held at Tebo Family Medical Pavilion, home to Rocky Mountain Cancer Center on the brand new Boulder Community Health Foothills Medical Campus. The precise name for this therapy is 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy, which is a  sophisticated type of external beam radiation treatment. Computers calculate a three-dimensional model of the patient's tumor. During treatment, multiple beams of radiation conform to the  tumor's size and shape, limiting exposure to nearby tissue.

Normally, family members are not allowed into the area where patients are being treated, but Betsey asked and got permission for us to be present, and we observed her being prepared for the treatment, took photographs, and then left the room during the actual application of the radiation but were able to be in the control room where one of the radiation therapists was controlling the equipment and administering the radiation. The radiation was applied to the tumor from four different angles. The entire procedure, from arrival in the building to departure,  took less than a half-hour, and the actual exposure of the tumor to radiation is measured in seconds.

As indicated above, at the heart of this treatment is its accuracy - the technology has been developed to the point that at every treatment, the patient's head is positioned in exactly the same way, so that the radiation is beamed only at the tumor, and does not affect surrounding tissues -  the healthy brain cells. In addition to a great deal of computer technology that is involved, there is also a very practical device that makes this possible - a face mask which is contoured exactly to the patient's face, and fastened to the gurney, holding the head in exactly the same position for every treatment. Then both the gurney and the radiation machine are moved to provide exactly the right angle of exposure - that is controlled by a complex computer program. The team member that prepares that program is called a dosimetrist - a job title that was new to me.

To help the patient be perfectly at ease and relaxed during the treatment, the therapists are, first of all, very supportive and gentle in their work; a heated blanket is put over the patient, and in Betsey's case, a second blanket that was given to her by her running group back in Columbia,  and embroidered by them, was placed over the heated blanket. The lights were lowered,  a beautiful scene was projected on the ceiling above the gurney, and if she wishes a favorite CD can be played. Betsey reported that she feels nothing during the treatment and she uses the time for visualization of the destruction of the cancer cells and the happy growth of the surrounding healthy cells. After she comes home she spends time in meditation, and then has a delicious supper, eating only foods that balance the combined effect on her body of the cancer cells, the radiation, and the chemo pill she takes at bedtime. This lessens the side effects, and thus far she has felt little or no side effects from this therapy.

Betsey's face mask is fastened to the gurney. Masks for other patients are in the background

The machine is positioned

The gurney is positioned

A therapist runs everything from the control room

We are grateful to Betsey for making it possible for us to share in this experience, and to the staff at the Cancer Center for permitting us to be present for and observe this therapy.