FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DOES RADIATION HURT?
No. You can't feel or see the radiation. As the machine is delivering radiation, it will make a buzzing sound that the patient will hear, but there is otherwise no indication of the radiation being delivered.
HOW LONG ARE DAILY TREATMENTS?
Treatment time may vary based on the type of treatment being delivered. Appointments generally range from 15 to 45 minutes long.
CAN I BE AROUND FAMILY WHILE I'M GETTING RADIATION TREATMENTS?
It is safe to be around family and friends while undergoing radiation treatments. Patients do not become radioactive during treatment because the type of radiation used is not a live source, but rather electrically produced.
WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS FROM RADIATION TREATMENTS?
It can take 3 to 12 weeks to see a response from the radiation treatments.
WHAT SIDE EFFECTS WILL I GET FROM RADIATION?
The most common side effect from radiation is fatigue, or extreme tiredness. Read about additional side effects on our "Side Effect" page.
WILL SIDE EFFECTS GO AWAY ONCE TREATMENT IS OVER?
Most patients will experience temporary side effects. It is common for side effects to go away in the weeks following treatment, however, some side effects may be permanent.
HOW LONG WILL I HAVE SYMPTOM RELIEF AFTER TREATMENT?
Patients may see relief from Mycosis Fungoides symptoms for up to 70 weeks.  It may take a couple weeks following the completion of treatment for symptom relief to begin.
DO I HAVE TO REMOVE MY CLOTHES FOR TREATMENT?
During treatment, patients will be asked to remove any clothing covering the treatment area so that the radiation can be delivered accurately. Please wear clothes that can be easily removed on treatment days.
Resources
Hansen, J. E., Kim, Y. H., Hoppe, R. T., & Wilson, L. D. (2019). Primary cutaneous lymphoma. Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology (7th, pp. 1908–1921). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
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Hoppe, R. T., Harrison, C., Tavallaee, M., Bashey, S., Sundram, U., Li, S., Million, L., Dabaja, B., Gangar, P., Duvic, M., & Kim, Y. H. (2015). Low-dose total skin electron beam therapy as an effective modality to reduce disease burden in patients with mycosis fungoides: results of a pooled analysis from 3 phase-II clinical trials. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 72(2), 286–292.
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Nabavizadeh, N. (2020, January 15). Personal Interview.
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Neelis, K. J., Schimmel, E. C., Vermeer, M. H., Senff, N. J., Willemze, R., & Noordijk, E. M. (2009). Low-dose palliative radiotherapy for cutaneous B- and T-cell lymphomas. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics, 74(1), 154–158.