how a radiation mask looks - Part 1

Описание: Part 2 coming soon with the nitty gritty on how radiation masks are made and how they help reduce side effects.

​Radiation masks are perhaps the scariest part of radiation positioning for patients who receive radiation above the shoulders. As a radiation oncologist, I learned a lot by simply having a mask made on my own face. I'm grateful that CQ Medical, whose masks we have used for years at USC, was willing to give me this mask to understand better how it feels to be bolted to the table. Patients have explained it to me for years, and I believe every single one of them. But experiencing the mask myself was important to understand better.

​This is a preview of how the radiation mask is made at the CT simulation (AKA the mapping) for patients with head and neck cancer such as throat cancers or mouth cancers. What surprised me the most was how much tighter the mask felt when it came time to get set up on the radiation machine (linear accelerator) - to be covered in detail in part 2!

​#radiationtherapy #radiationoncology #radiationmask #cancer