Radiation Dosages

miccmill
miccmill Member Posts: 248
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Can anyone tell me anything about radiation dosages? We were told Glenn would receive 6000gy on the right side and 5400gy on the left.

Does anyone know what those numbers signify and what they can be compared to to have significance?

In other word, is it a big dose, a medium dose.....?

Comments

  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #2
    Not Sure
    micmill,

    I believe someone posted at some time that 7,200 was the max for a radiation location. I don't know myself.
  • micktissue
    micktissue Member Posts: 430
    #3
    rad doses
    The gy (gray) is amount of rads needed to put 1 joule of energy in 1 kilogram of tissue (or matter of some kind). So in Glenn's case 6000gy is equal to the total amount of energy needed to do the job. I don't have any good comparisons but I do know it takes 1000 joules to make a pot of coffee. It sounds like a lot, but it is delivered a bit at a time so the effect is cumulative.

    I don't know how they come up with the total amount - it's probably anecdotal. I got 6600 on the right (where they found disease) and 5400 on the left (no evidence of disease).

    I have read of cases where known tumors get 7200 to 7500 grays. Mine was unknown origin (a.k.a. occult tumor) so my grays were delivered to the entire mucosa which lowered the total amount I got. Any way you look at it, it does tissue damage that can be brutal. I know this from experience :-\

    Best,

    Mick
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    #4
    micktissue said:

    rad doses
    The gy (gray) is amount of rads needed to put 1 joule of energy in 1 kilogram of tissue (or matter of some kind). So in Glenn's case 6000gy is equal to the total amount of energy needed to do the job. I don't have any good comparisons but I do know it takes 1000 joules to make a pot of coffee. It sounds like a lot, but it is delivered a bit at a time so the effect is cumulative.

    I don't know how they come up with the total amount - it's probably anecdotal. I got 6600 on the right (where they found disease) and 5400 on the left (no evidence of disease).

    I have read of cases where known tumors get 7200 to 7500 grays. Mine was unknown origin (a.k.a. occult tumor) so my grays were delivered to the entire mucosa which lowered the total amount I got. Any way you look at it, it does tissue damage that can be brutal. I know this from experience :-\

    Best,

    Mick

    Trying to recall what my chart said...
    I think I was in the low 7000 range for the known tumor at the base of my tongue. I do recall that they were working in seven different radiation fields.

    Deb
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #5
    micktissue said:

    rad doses
    The gy (gray) is amount of rads needed to put 1 joule of energy in 1 kilogram of tissue (or matter of some kind). So in Glenn's case 6000gy is equal to the total amount of energy needed to do the job. I don't have any good comparisons but I do know it takes 1000 joules to make a pot of coffee. It sounds like a lot, but it is delivered a bit at a time so the effect is cumulative.

    I don't know how they come up with the total amount - it's probably anecdotal. I got 6600 on the right (where they found disease) and 5400 on the left (no evidence of disease).

    I have read of cases where known tumors get 7200 to 7500 grays. Mine was unknown origin (a.k.a. occult tumor) so my grays were delivered to the entire mucosa which lowered the total amount I got. Any way you look at it, it does tissue damage that can be brutal. I know this from experience :-\

    Best,

    Mick

    Dosages
    If I remember correctly, mine was also 7000 on the side of the tumor and affected tonsil area, and 6000 on the other side.

    John
  • Landranger25
    Landranger25 Member Posts: 210 Member
    #6
    Skiffin16 said:

    Dosages
    If I remember correctly, mine was also 7000 on the side of the tumor and affected tonsil area, and 6000 on the other side.

    John

    Not Sure
    Not sure what they did per side but got 7500 total. I had a 3 cm. tumor on the base of my tongue and 1 lymph node that biopsied positive. They hit the lymph and the lesion hard but also did the opposite side from the lymph too. They hit the BOT from the back right side of my neck to miss the rest of my anotomy and by the end the skin back there was fried. Scabs and bleeding bad. Rest of areas just red like a bad sunburn.

    Mike
  • miccmill
    miccmill Member Posts: 248
    #7
    Landranger25 said:

    Not Sure
    Not sure what they did per side but got 7500 total. I had a 3 cm. tumor on the base of my tongue and 1 lymph node that biopsied positive. They hit the lymph and the lesion hard but also did the opposite side from the lymph too. They hit the BOT from the back right side of my neck to miss the rest of my anotomy and by the end the skin back there was fried. Scabs and bleeding bad. Rest of areas just red like a bad sunburn.

    Mike

    Thanks
    Now I know what comparing apples to oranges is really like. I didn't have any kind of frame of reference for radiation dosage.

    Mick, Glenn has an undeterminded primary and is getting a wider covergae of radiation with dosage same as yours.

    The only area not being radiated directly is the aerodigestive tract which they told me was because he was getting chemo also.
  • SASH
    SASH Member Posts: 421 Member
    #8
    miccmill said:

    Thanks
    Now I know what comparing apples to oranges is really like. I didn't have any kind of frame of reference for radiation dosage.

    Mick, Glenn has an undeterminded primary and is getting a wider covergae of radiation with dosage same as yours.

    The only area not being radiated directly is the aerodigestive tract which they told me was because he was getting chemo also.

    Dosage
    I think I had an equal amount for linear accelerated rads. 7200 G Rads per side, I think.
  • greg from pa
    greg from pa Member Posts: 86
    #9
    I was told my total dose
    I was told my total dose would be 7000. that was for base of tounge and lymph nodes on left side. GPA
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #10
    Hi Micc


    My first radiation treatment in 2003 was 6,300rads and my second treatment in 2005 was 7,500rads all right on the side of face and neck. So it sounds like a normal dose.

    Take care
  • micktissue
    micktissue Member Posts: 430
    #11
    miccmill said:

    Thanks
    Now I know what comparing apples to oranges is really like. I didn't have any kind of frame of reference for radiation dosage.

    Mick, Glenn has an undeterminded primary and is getting a wider covergae of radiation with dosage same as yours.

    The only area not being radiated directly is the aerodigestive tract which they told me was because he was getting chemo also.

    miccmill
    You can read about my treatments and experience at my blog www.justwrite.us. Since Glenn has an occult tumor his treatments may be the same. I hope his experience is better.

    Best,

    Mick

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