In short
Radiotherapy uses targeted high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. Around half of cancer patients benefit at some point. It is usually given as short daily sessions over a few weeks. World Aid Network funds treatment overseas where a partner can deliver it. This page is information, not a diagnosis.
Last updated .
What is radiotherapy?
Radiotherapy uses carefully aimed high-energy radiation, usually X-rays, to damage cancer cells so they can no longer grow. It treats one area, unlike chemotherapy, which travels in the bloodstream. Around half of people with cancer have it at some point. This page is information, not a diagnosis. World Aid Network does not provide NHS care.
It is also called radiation therapy. Specialists plan the beams so they hit the tumour and spare as much healthy tissue as possible. It can be used to try to cure a cancer, to shrink a tumour before surgery, to mop up cells afterwards, or to relieve pain in advanced disease.
Type-specific plans — for example cervical brachytherapy or prostate radiotherapy — live on those cancer guides. This page owns the general question: what radiotherapy is, how it is given, and why machines are scarce overseas.
How does radiotherapy work?
The radiation damages DNA inside cancer cells so they cannot divide and they die. Treatment is planned on scans so the dose hits the tumour. Nearby healthy cells can be affected too, which is why side effects happen in the treated area. Your own specialist sets the plan. This is not a diagnosis and not NHS care from us.
A planning session comes first. Marks or a mask help the team aim the same way each day. Each treatment itself is usually only a few minutes. The course is the repeated sessions, not one visit.
World Aid Network does not choose the plan. A locally licensed oncologist in a registered hospital does. We fund the bill a family cannot meet in Pakistan, Indonesia or Malaysia, where that hospital can actually deliver radiotherapy.
What are the types of radiotherapy?
There are two main types. External beam radiotherapy uses a machine outside the body — this is the most common and is painless. Internal radiotherapy, or brachytherapy, places a radioactive source close to or inside the tumour, for example in some cervical cancers. Ask your team which you are having. This is not a diagnosis.
Cervical, prostate and breast guides explain when each type is used for that cancer. Chemoradiotherapy means chemotherapy and radiotherapy together; that detail belongs on the type page.
We do not promise a named UK private machine or a brand of linear accelerator. We fund what a partner hospital can deliver.
| Type | What it means |
|---|---|
| External beam | A machine directs radiation at the cancer from outside the body — the most common type, and painless |
| Internal (brachytherapy) | A radioactive source is placed inside the body, close to or within the tumour |
| A course | Usually short daily sessions, often Monday to Friday, over a few weeks |
| With other treatments | Before or after surgery, or with chemotherapy, depending on type and stage |
How is radiotherapy given?
External beam treatment is usually given as short daily sessions, often Monday to Friday, over a few weeks. Each session itself typically takes only a few minutes. The exact schedule depends on the cancer and the goal of treatment. See a specialist for personal advice. This is not a diagnosis.
You lie still while the machine moves around you. You do not feel the radiation. The team leaves the room but can see and hear you. Brachytherapy is a different visit pattern, set by that protocol.
Please do not try to arrange a UK machine for someone overseas. Donate here so a partner hospital can treat the patient in front of them, if they have the equipment and staff.
Does radiotherapy hurt?
The treatment itself is painless — external beam radiotherapy feels like having an X-ray. Side effects can build up over a course, most commonly tiredness and skin changes in the treated area, plus effects specific to that part of the body. Most settle after the course ends. Ask your cancer team what to expect. This is not a diagnosis.
Skin in the treated area can become red or sore, like sunburn. The team will tell you what creams to use and what to avoid. Tiredness is common even when the session is short.
A fever during treatment still needs urgent local advice — NHS 111 or a specialist unit in the UK, not this website. World Aid Network is not a helpline.
What are the side effects of radiotherapy?
Tiredness and skin changes in the treated area are the most common. Other effects depend on the part of the body being treated — for example bowel or bladder irritation, or a sore mouth. They usually settle after the course. Not everyone gets the same effects. Ask your team. World Aid Network is not a UK helpline.
Unlike chemotherapy, radiotherapy does not usually cause hair loss unless the head is in the treatment field. Nausea depends on the area treated. Supportive care is part of the plan.
In the countries we fund, getting to the machine every day can cost a family as much as the treatment itself. A gift here can cover the hospital bill a partner can already deliver. We do not invent a named patient’s side-effect list.
When is radiotherapy used with surgery or chemotherapy?
It may be given before surgery to shrink a tumour, or after surgery to reduce the chance of cancer returning. It is also used with chemotherapy for some cancers, including some cervical disease. The combination depends on type and stage. Breast, prostate and cervical guides explain those pathways. This page is the general radiotherapy explainer, not a treatment plan.
Chemotherapy is medicine in the bloodstream. Radiotherapy is targeted radiation to one area. Many people have both. See the chemotherapy guide for cycles, drips and tablets.
World Aid Network funds what a partner hospital can actually deliver. We do not promise a UK private protocol.
How is this different from chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is medicine that travels in the bloodstream and can reach cancer that has spread. Radiotherapy is targeted radiation to one area. Many people have both. This page owns radiotherapy. The chemotherapy guide owns medicines, cycles and drips. Named checkout for every type of treatment is the Cancer Emergency Appeal. Neither is NHS care.
Stay here if you wanted machines, sessions and the global gap. Use the chemotherapy guide if you wanted cytotoxic drugs. Use the Cancer Emergency Appeal if you already decided to give and want the named appeal URL.
Type pages own the disease. These two URLs own the treatment methods.
How is this different from the Cancer Emergency Appeal?
This page owns what radiotherapy is — types, sessions, side effects and the machine gap — with a donate form. The Cancer Emergency Appeal is the named checkout for all types of cancer treatment, not radiotherapy alone. Both gifts fund partner hospital bills. Please read the page that matches your question. Neither is NHS care.
Stay here if you wanted the explainer. Use the Cancer Emergency Appeal if you already decided to give and want the named appeal URL. Trustees send money to the most urgent bill a partner can treat.
Not every partner hospital has a radiotherapy machine. We fund what that hospital can deliver. We do not fly a linear accelerator from Britain.
Why do some countries have too few radiotherapy machines?
Radiotherapy needs expensive machines, planning systems and trained staff. The WHO and IAEA report that many low- and middle-income countries have far too few machines, and some have none. In the UK the NHS gives this treatment without a bill at the door. We fund a partner hospital bill in Pakistan, Indonesia or Malaysia. We do not install machines.
That gap is why a cancer that radiotherapy could cure or palliate still kills when the family cannot reach a machine or cannot pay. We do not invent caseloads. We pay for a protocol a licensed partner can already deliver for a patient who cannot pay.
Please do not try to ship equipment from Britain. Donate on this page instead. Card gifts are processed immediately; treatment follows the hospital list.
How can I donate to fund radiotherapy?
Please give on this page by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The gift is marked for the Cancer Emergency Appeal, which funds radiotherapy where a partner hospital can deliver it, and every other type they can treat. We do not quote a typical session price. Gift Aid starts when Charity Commission registration is granted — application 5290505.
Use the form beside this guide, or open the donate page and choose cancer treatment. If you are collecting as a group, bring the total here. For a gift in memory of someone, write to [email protected].
Until registration is granted, please do not assume a 25% Gift Aid top-up. We will contact donors when Gift Aid becomes claimable. Card donations are open now.
| Gift | What partners typically kit |
|---|---|
| £10 | Essential cancer medicines for one patient for one week |
| £25 | Diagnostic blood tests or a screening examination |
| £50 | One chemotherapy session for a patient who cannot pay |
| £100 | A diagnostic scan to confirm and stage cancer |
| £250 | A course of chemotherapy drugs where partners quote this cost |
| £500 | Cancer surgery for one patient at a partner hospital |
What does your amount fund?
£50 — One chemotherapy session for a patient who cannot pay
What will my donation to radiotherapy provide?
Your donation pays for diagnosis and treatment a poor patient cannot afford. Typical partner costs include £50 for one chemotherapy session and £100 for a staging scan. Trustees send the Cancer Emergency Appeal to the most urgent bill a partner hospital can treat — including radiotherapy where they have a machine. Please give what you can.
Clinicians decide the medical plan. We fund the invoice. What a patient receives depends on diagnosis, stage and what that hospital can deliver. The table is a guide, not a promise that every gift buys an identical item.
- · £10 — essential cancer medicines for one patient for one week
- · £25 — diagnostic blood tests or a screening examination
- · £50 — one chemotherapy session
- · £100 — a diagnostic scan to confirm and stage cancer
- · £250 — a course of chemotherapy drugs where partners quote this cost
- · £500 — cancer surgery for one patient at a partner hospital
Can I give monthly for a radiotherapy course?
Yes. A monthly gift to the Cancer Emergency Appeal matches a radiotherapy course, which runs over weeks of daily sessions, not one appointment. Please set up a regular amount on this page. You can also give once. To mark a gift in memory of someone who had radiotherapy, write to [email protected]. You can change a monthly gift later.
Please do not wait for the next awareness month. Daily sessions are booked in between campaigns too. A small monthly amount keeps treatment from stopping because the money ran out.
Frequently asked questions
What is radiotherapy?
Radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation, usually X-rays, to destroy cancer cells by damaging their DNA. It is carefully targeted to hit the tumour while sparing healthy tissue. Around half of all cancer patients benefit from it at some point. This page is information, not a diagnosis.
Does radiotherapy hurt?
The treatment itself is painless — external beam radiotherapy feels like having an X-ray. Side effects can build up over a course, most commonly tiredness and skin changes in the treated area. Most settle after treatment finishes.
What are the types of radiotherapy?
The two main types are external beam radiotherapy, where a machine directs radiation from outside the body, and internal radiotherapy or brachytherapy, where a radioactive source is placed close to the tumour — used, for example, in some cervical cancers.
How long does a course of radiotherapy take?
It varies, but external beam radiotherapy is often given as short daily sessions, Monday to Friday, over a few weeks. The exact schedule depends on the cancer and the goal of treatment. Each session itself usually takes only a few minutes.
Why don't all countries have radiotherapy?
It needs expensive machines, planning systems and trained specialists. Many low- and middle-income countries have far too few machines, and some have none. That gap is a major reason cancer survival is lower in poorer countries.
How is this different from chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is medicine in the bloodstream. Radiotherapy is targeted radiation to one area. Many people have both. See the chemotherapy guide for cycles, drips and tablets.
Does World Aid Network give radiotherapy in the UK?
No. We do not provide NHS care or UK clinics. We fund cancer treatment — including radiotherapy where partner hospitals can deliver it — for patients who cannot pay in Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia. We do not install machines.
How can I donate to fund radiotherapy?
Give by card on this page or at https://worldaidnetwork.org/donate and choose the Cancer Emergency Appeal. We do not quote a typical radiotherapy session price. Gift Aid starts when Charity Commission registration is granted (application 5290505).
Will Gift Aid apply?
Gift Aid starts when Charity Commission registration is granted (application 5290505). We will contact donors when that happens. Card gifts are open now.
Can I send radiotherapy equipment from the UK?
Please do not. We do not fly linear accelerators from Britain. Donate on this page so a partner hospital can treat a patient they can already treat.
Where else should you go for cancer treatment help?
Type-specific use lives on the cancer type guides. Chemotherapy and the cancer surgery guide are separate treatment guides. Named checkout is the Cancer Emergency Appeal. The cancer hub lists nineteen types. This page is not listed on the emergency appeals index.
Cancer Emergency Appeal
Named checkout — all types of cancer, treatment not research.
Cancer hub
Nineteen type guides and the donate form.
Chemotherapy guide
Medicines in the bloodstream — cycles, drips, tablets and side effects.
Cancer surgery guide
Types of operation, biopsy and why a theatre bill is unaffordable.
Cervical cancer guide
When brachytherapy is used with other treatment.
Prostate cancer guide
When radiotherapy is used for prostate cancer.
Breast cancer guide
When radiotherapy follows surgery.
How to help cancer patients
Practical ways to fund care, not only research.
Cancer in developing countries
Why survival collapses when treatment is out of reach.
Best charity for cancer
We do not rank. Donate if treatment overseas matches.
Monthly giving
Keep a radiotherapy course funded between campaigns.
How we work
Grants to partner hospitals, not cash to individuals.
Donate by card
Give to cancer treatment in a few minutes.