I had my first RAD, and was really surprised when after they bolted me down with the mask the tech said he'd be back in 15 mins. I was not able to talk because of the mask but wanted to say" I thought this was only supposed to take 5 mins." After it was over I got some info but plan on getting more today. Seems this treatment is supposed to spare my salivary glands. It is spposed to be state of the art tech and and the latest and most up to date treatment. What bothers me is that I'm laying there 3 times as long, getting 100 beams verses the normal 25 or 30 and still will take it 7 wks. They told me at the start( a month ago) that if I can't take it they will give me a break for awhile but I will get all 7 wk. treatment. This is after they removed the cancerous node and found a small primary tumor on base of tongue. I sure hope they don't fry me. Anyone ever hear of this treatment?

You are on a good program. This is called IMRT and it uses very sophisticated software to control the angles of the radiation beam, and a special shuttering system inside the radiation head to narrow the beam. The computer calculates form your CT scans the best angles to get at the tumor without hitting the major salivary glands, or at least exposing them to less radiation. A company called Varian developed the technology. (They call it Smart Beam) Look on the OCF web site in the news section, and under radiation for more information on this. Then if you really want the nuts and bolts of it, look through your search engine and find the site for Varian on the web. The reduction in xerostomia from this technique is well documented, and for those who have tumors that fit into the protocols size range, or which are located in the in areas where it can be used, it is a big step forward in technology.