Support for people with learning disabilities and cancer through radiotherapy treatment

About half of people with a cancer diagnosis receive radiotherapy treatment. As cancer rates are increasing, it is likely that learning disability nurses will work with service users who require radiotherapy at some point in their careers. Therefore, it is important that these nurses understand the radiotherapy treatment process so that they can support and advocate for service users effectively. This article provides an overview of that process. It describes radiotherapy treatment planning, outlines a typical daily radiotherapy process and discusses how treatment side effects can be minimised through preparation techniques and the use of immobilisation devices. The author also considers ways in which learning disability nurses and other healthcare professionals can support individuals throughout the radiotherapy treatment process.