Preparing for Radiotherapy

Nutrition 

Food and drink are your body’s fuel. What you eat and drink gives you energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. You need all these to make sure your body works well. A dietitian is an expert in food and nutrition. They can help you plan to ensure you are getting all the nutrition you need. A dietitian can give you advice on how to make eating and drinking easier, to help keep your weight and muscle. Eating well before radiotherapy can help you get through treatment. It can also keep your strength and energy levels up and help you to recover quicker. Before, during and after treatment, it is important that you try to keep your weight and muscle. 

Read more in the Looking After your Nutrition fact sheet. 

• Information Sheet: Looking after your Nutrition Fact Sheet 

Web resources: 

• CanEAT Pathway (Peter Mac) 

Fact sheets: 

• Information Sheet: Diet, Nutrition and Head and Neck Cancer treatment (Head and Neck Cancer Australia) 

Videos: 

• Nutrition and Preparing for Treatment (Head and Neck Cancer Australia) 

• Nutrition During and After Treatment (Head and Neck Cancer Australia)

Swallow and speech 

Swallowing and speaking are vital functions that we use every day. This includes your voice. Many different muscles work together to help you swallow and speak. Sometimes radiotherapy can affect these muscles. A speech pathologist can help when radiotherapy has affected your swallowing or speech. They do so by supplying exercises, advice and strategies to keep your function.  

Read more in the Looking After your Speech, Swallowing and Communication fact sheet. 

• Information sheet: Looking after your speech, swallowing and communication 

Videos: 

• Nutrition, Swallowing and Managing Side Effects of Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer (Head and Neck Cancer Australia) 

Fact sheets:

• Information sheet: Speech and Swallowing (Head and Neck Cancer Australia) 

• Information sheet: Swallowing Problems During or After Radiotherapy (Peter Mac) 

• Information sheet: Prophylactic Swallowing Exercises (Peter Mac) 

• Information sheet: Voice Health Strategies (Peter Mac) 

• Information sheet: Tips to Manage Xerostomia (dry mouth) (Peter Mac)

Emotional health 

It is common to experience a range of emotions after a diagnosis of head and neck cancer. These include sadness, shock, numbness, worry, anxiety, frustration and concerns about appearance. Radiotherapy can be stressful. This is because of the treatment itself. Yet it can also be because of treatment side effects. These side effects include pain, difficulty swallowing, speech changes, sleep disruption and fatigue. They can also include changes in relationships and social connections. Family and friends may also have difficulties coping and experience similar emotions. There are lots of things you can do to look after your emotional health. This could include 

• learning relaxation skills 

• learning ways to manage worries 

• managing expectations 

• getting good sleep  

• and looking after your relationships. 

Read more in the Looking After your Emotional Health fact sheet

• Information Sheet: Looking after your emotional health 

Find out more about emotional health: 

Web resources: 

• Find a Psychologist - The Australian Psychological Society (APS) Find a Psychologist website helps you to find a psychologist. It allows you to search for psychologists by location, area of practice or presenting concern. 

• Cancer Mind Care - Free and accessible online platform tailored mental health support for people with cancer, their support persons, clinicians and First Nations peoples. 
    

• Emotional Wellbeing (Head and Neck Cancer Australia) 
    

• Finding Calm During Cancer (Cancer Council NSW). Meditation and relaxation practices. 
    

• This Way Up – Health anxiety course. This Way Up is a trusted Australian provider of evidence-based, internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) programs. 

Booklets: 

• Can Sleep (Peter Mac). Self-help booklet for managing sleep problems for people with cancer. 

• Emotions and Cancer (Cancer Council) 

Fact sheets:

• Information Sheet: Abdominal Breathing 

• Information Sheet: Progressive Muscle Relaxation 

Emotional Support Services: 

• Cancer Council supplies an information and support line to Australians affected by cancer. You can call 13 11 20 to speak with a specialist cancer professional about anything to do with cancer.

Physical health 

Exercise is activity that you plan, structure, and tailor. Research shows that exercise helps you before, during and after cancer treatment. Exercise before cancer treatment can help to speed up your recovery. It also reduces fatigue, improves your fitness, and reduces side effects. Doing so helps you to return to your pre-treatment way of life. A physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can help with getting started with exercise. They can supply personalised and needs-based advice. 

Read more in the Looking After your Physical Health fact sheet. 

Information Sheet: Looking after your physical health 

Find out more about my physical health: 

Webinars: 

• Let's Talk about Changes in Memory and Thinking: held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative session by an occupational therapist from Peter Mac about cancer simple strategies to help you cope with your cognitive problems in everyday life. 

• Let’s Talk Fatigue:  held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative session by an occupational therapist from Peter Mac about cancer, fatigue and how best to cope in everyday life. 

• Let’s talk lymphoedema: held once a month via Zoom, this is an informative presentation by a lymphoedema therapist from Peter Mac about how to prevent and treat lymphoedema. 

Videos: 

• Exercise - Wellbeing Victoria has videos of simple exercise programs that you can follow along with. 

Booklets: 

• Exercise and Cancer (Cancer Council Victoria): has a range of resources providing education and basic tips on exercising with cancer.

Oral health 

Oral hygiene is about how you look after your teeth, mouth and gums. Radiotherapy treatment may affect your oral health. This includes oral side effects such as 

• dry mouth 

• tooth decay 

• mouth ulcers or inflammation 

• taste disturbance 

• difficulty opening your mouth  

• changes to your jaw bone.  

Your dental team can support you to manage these side effects and look after your oral health. You can refer to the following resources for more information. 

Web resources: 

• Teeth and Mouth Care (Head and Neck Cancer Australia) 

Health Hub: Accessing Appointments and Health Information 

We recommend you use Health Hub if you have had cancer treatment in the Parkville Precinct. This precinct includes  

• Peter Mac 

• Royal Melbourne Hospital 

• Royal Women’s Hospital  

• and Royal Children’s Hospital.  

Health Hub is a secure website and mobile app. It gives you access to information about your care and treatment with us.  

Learn more about it and how to sign up if you are receiving treatment with us. 

• Health Hub 

If you are going elsewhere for treatment you can go to your health service website. Otherwise, you can ask them about their online facilities. These will help you access appointment bookings and health