Free Supportive Care Guides for Radiation Therapy
18 evidence-based patient guides — written by a radiation oncologist for patients, families, and care teams.
Patient education in radiation oncology is bad. Most departments hand out a generic pamphlet that covers every treatment type on one page and ends up useful for none. Patients leave consult with information about their cancer but almost nothing about what treatment will actually feel like — what to buy, what to eat, when to call.
I built 18 disease-site-specific guides to fix this. Plain language, practical, designed to go home with the patient after consult or sim. Every guide is free to download — no account, no email. Rad onc departments can customize them with their own contact info using the online tool.
What’s in them
13 disease-site guides + 5 cross-cutting supportive guides. Each is 10–19 pages: side effect timelines, management protocols, product recs with costs, red flags (when to call vs. when to go to the ER), and long-term screening schedules.
| Disease Site | Covers |
|---|---|
| Head & Neck | Mucositis, swallowing, skin, PEG, taste |
| GI (Rectal/Anal) | Perineal skin, diarrhea, bladder, sexual health |
| GYN | Vaginal health, brachy, menopause, fertility |
| Lung | Esophagitis, cough, pneumonitis, breathing exercises |
| Esophageal | Swallowing progression, feeding tubes, reflux |
| Prostate | Bladder prep, urinary, bowel, sexual health, ADT |
| Breast | Skin, lymphedema, cardiac (DIBH), body image |
| Brain Mets | Dex, seizures, SRS vs WBRT, cognitive support |
| CNS/GBM | TMZ, steroids, seizures, pseudoprogression |
| Palliative (Bone) | Pain flare, cord compression, retreatment |
| Skin | Weekly timeline, wound care, cosmetic healing |
| Lymphoma | Cardiac/thyroid screening, fertility, breast ca risk |
| Bladder-Sparing | Trimodal therapy, urinary sx, surveillance |
| Supportive | Covers |
|---|---|
| Immunotherapy + RT | irAEs vs RT toxicity, steroid safety |
| Nutrition | Cal/protein targets, recipes by symptom, tube feeding |
| Smoking Cessation | Why quitting matters during RT, NRT, meds |
| Survivorship | Screening, exercise, emotional recovery |
| Caregiver | Practical skills, med tracking, crisis escalation |
Why these aren’t pamphlets
The H&N guide gives a salt-and-soda rinse recipe, explains why chlorhexidine is bad during RT (per Kost 2023), and includes a “poor man’s magic mouthwash” you can make at home — with costs. The palliative guide has a cord compression section written for a family member panicking at 2 a.m. The lymphoma guide is for the 25-year-old who’s going to be cured but needs to understand lifelong cardiac screening, breast cancer risk after chest RT, and fertility preservation options.
Every guide has a products table with approximate prices. “Use a barrier cream” means nothing if you don’t know whether that’s $4 Aquaphor or $30 Miaderm.
For departments
Use the online customizer to brand them with your name, institution, locations, and phone. Single PDF or batch ZIP. Also on GitHub if you want to fork and modify content — add your antiemetic protocol, adjust PEG criteria, whatever.
Evidence
All guides cite NCCN 2025, MASCC/ISOO, ESPEN 2024, ASTRO, and landmark trials (PACIFIC, ADRIATIC, KEYNOTE-689, CHALLENGE, S1826). v1.1 went through structured peer review — 40+ corrections across the set: over-precise stats softened, branded products made generic, missing content added.
Not a substitute for your care team’s advice. A supplement — so you have it in writing at home when you need it.
Feedback welcome — errors, suggestions, product recs that helped. riccoa@mlhs.org.