Having radiotherapy
You should be able to have radiotherapy if you have a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). A nurse or trained radiographer monitors the pacemaker if it is in the radiotherapy field. This is usually before, during and after treatment.
This is most likely to be for people who have cancer of the lung or breast.
Radiotherapy can interfere with how your pacemaker works. Even when it is not in the treatment area.
The radiation can cause chemical changes in the structure of the pacemaker. And electrical energy disturbances during the treatment. It depends on the:
type of pacemaker
model of your pacemaker
dose of radiotherapy you are going to have
So, if you have a pacemaker, your treatment team will monitor you very carefully during your treatment. Some specialists can control some types of pacemakers remotely. The specialist is usually from your heart (cardiology) team.
When you finish your radiotherapy, your heart specialist will continue to keep a close eye on you.
Before you begin treatment your cancer doctor will talk to your heart specialist.
They will get a detailed history of why you have a pacemaker and the type of pacemaker you have.
There are many different specialists involved in radiotherapy treatment. Your radiotherapy doctor and physicist are most involved in planning the treatment.
The physicist helps the radiotherapy doctor decide:
the best way of delivering the amount of radiation prescribed
the exposure you should have to a particular radiotherapy machine to get the dose you need
The physicist also makes sure the radiotherapy equipment is accurate and safe.
They are both aware of the safety measures needed for someone with a pacemaker. They plan your radiotherapy to limit the amount of radiation your pacemaker is exposed to.
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You can also phone the Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040. The lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. They will be happy to answer any questions that you have.
Last reviewed: 23 Oct 2023
Next review due: 23 Oct 2026
External radiotherapy uses radiotherapy machines to aim radiation beams at a cancer. This destroys the cancer cells. There are different types of external radiotherapy.
Your radiotherapy team carefully work out how much radiation you need to treat the cancer and exactly where you need it.
Breast cancer is cancer that starts in the breast tissue. Find out about who gets breast cancer and where it starts.
Lung cancer starts in the windpipe (trachea), the main airway (bronchus) or the lung tissue. Cancer that starts in the lung is called primary lung cancer.
Find out about cancer treatment with radiotherapy, including external radiotherapy, internal radiotherapy, side effects, radiotherapy for symptoms and follow up after treatment.
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