What to expect from radiotherapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma affects lymphocytes in the skin. Radiotherapy can be aimed at one lesion, several nearby lesions, or a broader skin area, depending on the pattern and extent of disease. Your team marks the treatment field and may use photographs, measurements, or scans to guide planning. The dose and number of visits are individual to the area being treated.

During external treatment, you lie or sit in a planned position while the machine delivers radiation. The radiation is not felt and does not remain in your body. Skin changes may develop gradually: redness or darkening, dryness, itching, peeling, tenderness, or a moist sore area. Hair in the treated field can thin temporarily. Ask how the treated skin will be reviewed after the course.

Wash the area gently with lukewarm water, pat it dry, and avoid scratching, friction, tight clothing, heat, and direct sun. Use moisturiser, dressings, or medicines only as advised by the radiotherapy team; some products should not be applied immediately before a session. Keep the area protected if it becomes fragile, and tell the team if itching or pain interferes with sleep.

Take photographs only if your team finds them useful for monitoring, and do not remove treatment marks unless instructed. Pace activities around fatigue, eat regularly, and keep appointments with dermatology or haematology as arranged. A skin reaction can continue briefly after treatment ends, so keep following the care plan.

Contact your team promptly if the treated skin opens, bleeds, becomes wet, develops spreading redness, or produces discharge or increasing pain. Report fever, chills, new widespread rash, facial swelling, or rapidly worsening symptoms. Seek emergency help for severe breathing difficulty, collapse, or swelling of the lips or tongue.

Ask which lesions or skin areas will be treated, how the field will be protected, and how many visits your plan involves. Ask which cleanser, moisturiser, dressing, and pain relief are suitable, whether hair loss in the field is expected to recover, and how follow-up will check for new skin lesions.