During this first consultation, you will meet your radiation oncologist, who will accompany you throughout your treatment and will also provide follow-up care after your treatment.

This will be an opportunity to discuss your lifestyle, medical and surgical history, and to carry out a clinical examination.

Please remember to mention any treatments you are taking, any allergies you may have, and any information you feel is important for your care.

They will work with you to develop your treatment plan and explain its objectives, how it will unfold, and any possible side effect.

Radiotherapy treatment requires careful preparation called "simulation," which will take place at the Center a few days after your first medical consultation.

An ATM-Rx (Technical Medical Assistant in Radiotherapy) will welcome you and explain how the simulation will work. Please feel free to ask them any questions you may have.

They will then accompany you to the scanner to define the areas of your body to be treated with great precision.

You will be informed of the date of your first treatment session at a later stage.

Dosimetry

The images obtained during the simulation scan will enable the doctor to carefully define the areas to be irradiated, as well as those that need to be protected from radiation.

The dose distribution (dosimetry) is then calculated by our team of medical physisists to ensure that the treatment plan is followed.

Preparing your treatment requires several days of work and involves consultation and approval from the entire medical team.

Radiotherapy treatment

When you arrive at the Center, we ask that you check in at the reception desk to ensure that your treatment goes smoothly.

Sessions take place daily, on weekdays (excluding weekends and public holidays), for a period of several weeks depending on your treatment plan.

Each radiotherapy session lasts an average of 10 to 15 minutes. If you are receiving stereotactic radiotherapy (using a device called Cyberknife), there will be fewer sessions, but each session will last an average of 45 minutes.

All radiotherapy sessions follow the same pattern as the first: images are first taken to validate the treatment and positioning, and then you receive the required dose of radiation.

The ATM-Rx team is available to answer your questions or accompany you on site if necessary.  
Weekly medical consultations will be scheduled starting in the second week of treatment to monitor your progress. Take advantage of these appointments to talk to your doctor, ask questions, and discuss any side effects you may be experiencing.  

Chemotherapy treatment

Depending on your treatment plan, you may receive chemotherapy alongside your radiotherapy treatment. These treatments are carried out at Centre François Baclesse day hospital.

You will meet the nurses who will accompany you throughout your treatment from the very beginning of your journey at the Center (immediately after your medical consultation). They will explain the course of your treatment and review your current treatments, medical history, any pain or allergies you may have, etc.

They are here to help, so please feel free to ask them any questions you may have or report any side effects you experience.

Your condition/treatment may require dietary monitoring, in which case we will offer you a consultation with our dietitian.

Chemotherapy treatment can be administered by intravenous injection or by taking tablets.

If your treatment is oral, the nurses will give you the tablets to bring back home and will explain the dosage and how to take them.

If your chemotherapy treatment is administered intravenously, it will be carried out on an outpatient basis at Centre François Baclesse day hospital.

In both cases, our nurses will perform a weekly follow up in order to carry out the medical checks necessary for the continuation of your treatment, but also to improve your quality of life during treatment (tolerance to treatment, pain, or any side effects).

Please feel free to talk to them and let them know anything you think is important.

Your chemotherapy schedule will be provided to you at the same time as your radiotherapy sessions.

Preserving your venous capital

Your venous capital is the entire venous network that must be protected, and it is not the same for everyone. Depending on YOUR venous capital, you may be advised to have an implantable catheter port (commonly known as a PAC) fitted. This is a small device placed under the skin (usually in the chest) and connected to a small tube, called a catheter, which is inserted into a vein.

It allows chemotherapy drugs to be injected without damaging the veins in your arm.

The PAC is inserted during a short surgical procedure under local anesthesia, which must be performed in an outpatient facility. The doctor and nurses will explain the entire procedure to you if a PAC is necessary for you.

Brachytherapy treatment

The Centre François Baclesse offers brachytherapy treatments for the prostate and female reproductive organs (vaginal wall and uterine cervix).

Prostate brachytherapy

This type of brachytherapy involves placing radioactive iodine-125 seeds in the prostate. The iodine seeds, encased in a titanium capsule, look like small silver-colored metal wires, 0.8 millimeters in diameter and 4.5 millimeters long.

They work by emitting radiation over a few millimeters. The radiation emitted at the surface of the body is harmless (it is lower than the natural radiation received during a stay in the mountains or a plane trip). This radioactivity decreases with time and distance.

This procedure is performed under general anesthesia and requires a 48-hours hospital stay at the Centre Hospitalier Émile Mayrisch (CHEM) in Esch-sur-Alzette.

You will be asked to see your urologist or radiation oncologist within eight days of the procedure for a follow-up consultation. A CT scan will be performed one month after the procedure to check that the seeds are in place.

Vaginal brachytherapy

Vaginal brachytherapy is a radiation treatment in which the radioactive source is placed in contact with the tumor using a vaginal applicator. As the radiation does not pass through healthy organs to reach the area to be treated, side effects are limited. brachytherapy is an outpatient treatment and is generally carried out in two or three sessions, at a rate of one session per week. Each session lasts about an hour, with the application of the radioactive source itself taking only five to ten minutes (the rest of the session involves positioning scans and preparation for treatment by our physicists). You will be able to return home after each session.

Uterine vaginal brachytherapy

In this type of brachytherapy, the radioactive source is also placed in contact with the tumor using applicators. Here again, the radiation does not pass through healthy organs to reach the area to be treated, which limits adverse effects on healthy tissue while delivering a high dose.

This treatment requires the use of special applicators and is performed at the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) under anesthesia.

The treatment is organized into two hospital stays, one week apart. Each hospital stay lasts an average of two days. The first is dedicated to setting up the applicators. The first treatment session is performed on the same day, followed by a second session the next day. Each treatment session lasts about ten minutes on average. The applicators will then be removed and you will be able to return home. The second hospital stay takes place the following week, following the same procedure.

The effectiveness of the treatment will be assessed two months after treatment during a consultation. Further follow-up consultations will be scheduled on a quarterly basis, alternating with your gynecologist.

On the day of your last radiotherapy session, you will also see your referring doctor for a final consultation.  This will be an opportunity to review your care and discuss any side effects you may have experienced in order to adjust your medication if necessary.

 They will explain the post-treatment follow-up procedures and refer you to the appropriate organizations if you encounter any difficulties after treatment.

The last day of treatment is an important step in your journey; it can be experienced as a relief or with apprehension.

During this discussion, take time to ask your doctor any questions or share any concerns you may have.

Mais « fin du traitement » ne signifie pas « fin du suivi » ; en effet ici commence une période de surveillance thérapeutique, constituée de consultations régulières avec tous les praticiens spécialistes qui vous ont accompagné tout au long de votre parcours, dont votre médecin radiothérapeute du Centre François Baclesse.

If you wish, you can already make an appointment for your next follow-up consultation. To do so, please contact the secretariat.