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Radiotherapy - the UK patient journey.

Choosing your clinical oncologist, arranging a second opinion, deciding NHS vs private, and what a course of treatment actually feels like from planning CT to the last fraction - and back to work.

See indicative pricing
A radiographer guides a patient onto the bed of an advanced 3 Tesla MRI scanner in a London imaging suite

Indicative pricing

What a private course costs in the UK.

Indicative ranges across our clinical oncology partners.

In short

£15,000–£30,000, 4–6 weeks of daily attendance.

Item Indicative range
First clinical oncology consultation £280–£500
Formal second-opinion review £350–£700
Planning CT-simulator scan £600–£1,100
5-fraction ultra-hypofractionated course (SBRT prostate) £10,000–£18,000
15-fraction breast course (hypofractionated) £8,000–£14,000
20–30-fraction radical course (many tumours) £15,000–£30,000
Palliative single or 5-fraction course £2,500–£6,500

Prices vary by centre, by consultant and by the total number of fractions.

The problem

The plan is one decision. The pathway around it is ten.

UK radiotherapy is technically excellent - but the choosing, the second opinion, the sequencing and the return to work are where patients feel alone. We stand next to you for all of it.

  • Choose the consultant, not the hospital

    The oncologist writes your plan and sees you weekly. Their tumour-type volume and follow-up habits matter more than the corridor art.

  • A second opinion should be normal

    It rarely changes the plan. It always changes how you feel about signing it.

  • Plan the return to work on day one

    Fatigue peaks 10–14 days after the last fraction, not during. Set expectations with your employer up front and the whole course is easier.

When it helps

The situations patients come to us with.

The common asks we see for radiotherapy patient support, and the one red flag that means acute oncology today rather than an elective consultation next week.

  • A new cancer diagnosis needing a plan

    You have a diagnosis and the words "radiotherapy is on the table" - but no consultant name and no clear start date yet.

  • Deciding between NHS and private

    The pathway exists on both sides. You want an honest read on speed, choice of consultant, machine availability and total cost before you commit.

  • A second opinion before you consent

    The plan on the table looks reasonable, but you want another consultant to eyeball the scans and the fractionation before you sign.

  • Sequencing around surgery or chemo

    The order matters - before or after surgery, sandwiched with chemotherapy, or as sole treatment - and no one has walked you through the logic.

  • Recurrence or re-irradiation

    A cancer that has come back in or near a field previously treated - a specialist decision that needs a re-planning conversation, not a repeat prescription.

  • Cross-country logistics

    You live rurally, or the best consultant is not in your city. Travel, accommodation and daily-attendance planning matter as much as the plan itself.

  • Working through treatment

    You want to keep your job during the course. That is usually possible with modern schedules - but the conversation with HR, and the fatigue curve, have to be handled up front.

  • Red flag: cord compression, SVC or airway

    New back pain with leg weakness, facial swelling and breathlessness, or stridor mean acute oncology today - A&E first, elective radiotherapy planning second.

Decision points

The choices that shape your course - before the first beam.

The technology (IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, proton) is covered on our radiation therapy page. Here we cover the people, the sequencing and the life-around-treatment decisions.

  • NHS radiotherapy

    Excellent for most tumours, with the standard fractionation, on modern linacs. Waits vary by region and tumour - for many people it is the right route. We say when it is.

  • Private radiotherapy in the UK

    Faster access to a named consultant, choice of centre, and evening slots at some units. Same physics, same drug licences - you pay for time and continuity, not better beams.

  • Choosing your consultant, not your hospital

    The clinical oncologist is the person you are hiring - their tumour-type volume, MDT participation and follow-up habits matter more than the badge over the door.

  • A meaningful second opinion

    A different consultant, ideally at a different institution, with the raw imaging in front of them. Not a rubber stamp - a fresh read on the dose, the volume and the timing.

  • Sequencing with surgery and chemo

    Neoadjuvant (before surgery), adjuvant (after) or chemo-radiotherapy (concurrent). Each order carries a different side-effect profile and a different logistics tail.

  • Daily attendance, transport and accommodation

    For a four- to six-week course, the travel is the treatment.

  • Working, driving and family life during a course

    Most patients drive themselves and work part-time through a standard course. Fatigue tends to build from week two and peaks a fortnight after the last fraction - plan the diary now.

  • The side-effect diary that actually gets read

    A simple paper or app diary you bring to weekly review. Skin, bowel, bladder, sleep, appetite, mood - a real conversation, not a tick-box list.

Safety and life around treatment

What a course actually feels like - honestly.

Radiotherapy is well tolerated for most patients. The things worth planning are the consent conversation, the weekly review, the fatigue curve and the return to work.

  • A conversation, not a hard sell

    The first consultation is 45 minutes and ends with time to go home and think.

  • Skin, fatigue and site-specific side effects

    Skin reddening, fatigue and tumour-site symptoms (bowel, bladder, throat, breast) are the common early effects. They build across the course and peak 1–2 weeks after the last fraction.

  • The tolerance chat before you consent

    Every plan spells out the small percentage risks - bowel, bladder, cardiac, secondary cancer decades later. A good consultant walks you through the numbers rather than glossing them.

  • A weekly review that actually happens

    Weekly review is not optional. If you are seen only at week one and week six, escalate - we help. A good unit builds the diary into the treatment slot.

  • Getting to and from treatment

    Fatigue and mild low mood are real from about week two. Book someone to drive you for the last third of a long course, and accept every offer of help.

  • Going back to work - realistic timing

    Office work: usually part-time from week two, full-time within 2–4 weeks of the last fraction for most people. Physical work: often 4–8 weeks after. Talk to HR early.

  • Late effects - what to watch years later

    A minority of patients develop late tissue changes years after treatment. Screening for these is baked into follow-up. We help you keep hold of the summary letter for life.

  • Bring someone to the consent conversation

    A second pair of ears in the consent clinic, and - for older patients - a family member on the phone during the weekly review, changes how much detail actually lands.

  • Red flags between treatments

    Fever, uncontrolled pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or wound bleeding are acute oncology calls - the on-call line or A&E, not a routine review.

Reading your radiotherapy summary

Your treatment record in four parts. Read the last one first.

Wherever your course was delivered - NHS or private, London or elsewhere - the summary letter your consultant sends you keeps to the same shape.

A UK consultant clinical oncologist writing an end-of-treatment summary

A quiet reminder

Radiotherapy paperwork is precise and can read coldly - we translate it for you.

If you would like us to talk you through the plan or the summary before your review, just ask.

  1. 01 Plan

    Intent, dose, fractionation, volume

    Is the intent curative or palliative, what total dose is prescribed, over how many fractions, and to which anatomical volume - the four numbers your plan hangs on.

  2. 02 Delivery

    Technique and daily verification

    IMRT, VMAT or SBRT; the image-guidance protocol used at each fraction; and any breath-hold or bladder-filling protocol that applied.

  3. 03 On-treatment

    Weekly review and side-effect trend

    What was noticed at each weekly review - skin, bowel, bladder, weight - and how it was managed. This is the one section families most often want to see.

  4. 04 Summary

    End-of-treatment summary and follow-up

    Read this first: the schedule of scans, blood tests and clinic reviews after treatment, and the exact things to call about between visits.

Recognised by major UK insurers

BupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealixBupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealixBupaAXA HealthVitalityAvivaWPACignaHealix

Radiotherapy is usually fully covered on comprehensive cancer plans. Second-opinion consultations and out-of-network centres may need pre-authorisation.

Frequently asked

Everything we get asked about the radiotherapy journey.

Quick answers on NHS vs private, choosing a consultant, second opinions, working through treatment and follow-up.

  • Should I go NHS or private for radiotherapy?

    For many tumours the NHS delivers the same physics and the same evidence-based plan, and the wait is acceptable. Private is worth paying for when speed matters (weeks, not days), when you want to choose the consultant, when your case would benefit from a formal second opinion at another centre, or when a specific technique (proton beam, SBRT for a particular site) is easier to access privately. We give you an honest read on the trade-off before you spend anything.

  • How do I choose a clinical oncologist?

    By tumour-type volume, by MDT membership at a major cancer centre, by their habits around second opinions and by follow-up. Ask how many patients like you they treat each year, whether your case will be reviewed at MDT, and who will actually see you at each weekly review. If those answers are vague, keep looking.

  • How long does a course of radiotherapy take?

    Anywhere from a single fraction (a palliative bone dose) to six weeks of daily attendance (radical head-and-neck or pelvic disease). Common shapes: 5 fractions over a week for prostate SBRT, 15 fractions over three weeks for breast, 20 fractions for many others, and 30 fractions over six weeks for radical courses. Modern schedules are shorter than they used to be.

  • Can I keep working during treatment?

    Most people work through a short or hypofractionated course, and part-time through a longer one. Fatigue builds from week two and peaks a fortnight after the last fraction, so plan lighter days towards the end. Talk to HR early - a written note from your consultant supports flexible hours without complication.

  • What does a treatment day actually feel like?

    You arrive, change into a gown, and - depending on the site - do any prep (drink water for bladder filling, or fit the mask for head-and-neck). You lie on the couch. The therapy radiographers position you against the tattoos or laser marks. The machine takes a verification image, then rotates once or twice, silently, for a few minutes. You are dressed and out within 15 to 20 minutes of arrival.

  • How do I arrange a second opinion without offending my consultant?

    You do not need permission. Consultants expect it, especially in cancer, and a good one welcomes it.

  • What about travel and accommodation for a long course?

    For a four- to six-week course, the travel is often the biggest weight.

  • What happens after the last fraction?

    You are given a written end-of-treatment summary, a follow-up schedule (usually 6-week, 3-month and then 6-monthly), and a red-flag list. Side effects usually peak 10–14 days after the last fraction and then settle over 4–6 weeks. A named person on your team is your first call between visits.

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