Get involved and help Queenslanders living with cancer by volunteering. Volunteers are the heart of our organisation. Join us to make a greater impact and connect with like-minded people.
Every contribution helps support those living with cancer. Whether a one-off donation or monthly gift, your support ensures funding stability for long-term goals and future generations.
Leave a legacy by including a gift in your Will, starting a tribute page for a loved one, or funding a research grant for early-career cancer researchers driving clinical innovations.
Organise a fundraising event in your community, either as a team or an individual. You can join one of our existing fundraising events or you might like to come up with your own way.
When organisations work together, we can have a greater impact for every Queenslander going through cancer and help amplify our message for all Australians.
However you get involved, you’re making a direct impact on the lives of Queenslanders affected by cancer. See the results of what we’ve all achieved.
Radiation therapy is a highly targeted treatment option that has helped many people throughout their cancer treatment. Modern radiation therapy is precisely planned and delivered by a team of specialists who focus on both its effectiveness and your comfort during treatment.
Our team is here to listen and support you.
Radiation therapy treatment is a sophisticated cancer treatment that uses carefully targeted high-energy rays to destroy or damage cancer cells, while protecting healthy tissue as much as possible. This precise form of cancer treatment therapy has become increasingly advanced, allowing specialists to target tumours more accurately than ever before.
Many patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment plan, either on its own or combined with other treatments to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Effects after radiation treatment vary for each person and understanding what these might look like can help you feel more prepared. While some people experience minimal side effects, others may notice fatigue or skin changes in the treated area.
Your radiation oncology team will work closely with you to manage your side effects, providing personalised advice and support throughout your treatment, ensuring you know what to expect and how to take care of yourself.
Common side effects of radiation therapy may include:
The goal of radiation therapy is to kill cancer cells in the area targeted, using high-energy rays. These cancer cells then begin to die, days or weeks after the treatment is given, and continue dying off for months afterwards.
While radiation therapy can also damage healthy cells, modern innovations in radiation therapy mean doctors are good at isolating and targeting cancer cells, with the surrounding healthy cells typically receiving a lower dose so they can repair themselves.
While the rays used are high-energy, you shouldn’t feel any pain or heat during the treatment, although many patients do experience some side effects in the period following radiation treatment for cancer.
Deciding on any course of treatment after being diagnosed with cancer can feel overwhelming, and it’s a highly individual decision that you should make along with your doctors.
Research tells us that around half of all people with cancer would benefit from radiation therapy. There are three ways it’s helpful:
There are two different ways of giving radiation treatment for cancer:
You may be given one or both types of treatment, depending on the type of cancer you have.
Because radiation therapy continues to kill off cancer cells for months after treatment, it can take some time for a doctor to be able to assess the full impact of the treatment.
Aside from helping you to manage any side effects, your doctors will have regular check-ups with you during treatment and once you have finished. After a few months, your team will order tests to see how your body has responded to the treatment, and to get a clearer picture of how successful it has been.
If you’re getting palliative radiation therapy to relieve symptoms, monitoring pain, discomfort and other symptoms is a good way to measure if the treatment is working. It can take a few days or weeks to notice a change.
Because radiation is used in several different ways, to treat several different types of cancer, there are many variables, and your doctor will be best placed to give you an idea of how successful your treatment may be. Asking about the specific aims of the treatment plan on your cancer, as well as the success rate of radiation therapy in other people with the same type and stage of cancer, is the best way to get a good understanding. Research does suggest that one in two Queenslanders with cancer would benefit from the treatment.
No, chemotherapy is a drug protocol, while radiation uses high-energy beams of radiation to target cancer cells. Chemo can sometimes be used in conjunction with radiation therapy, in something called chemoradiation. You might also hear it referred to as ‘chemoradiotherapy’ or ‘radiochemotherapy’.
Hair loss is a common symptom of radiation therapy. Visit our hair loss page for more information.
You shouldn’t feel pain or heat at the site of radiation therapy, but some of the potential side effects can be painful in the weeks or months after treatment. Your doctor can help you manage these.
The length of your treatment will depend on the type, stage and location of your cancer, but your doctors will be able to give you a clearer picture of how long you’ll need to undergo the procedures.
As well as innovations in radiation therapy making it easier for doctors to precisely target cancer with radiation therapy, innovations in other areas of medicine have made it easier for them to help with the side effects, too. It’s important to talk to your doctor about any side effects you might be experiencing, to get on top of them as quickly as possible. Your comfort is an important factor in your treatment plan, and support is available.
