After 15 minutes of simulation, the mask used in cancer radiation therapy is completed. The snug fit of the mask ensures the patient’s comfort, allowing for normal breathing during treatment.
For most radiation therapy techniques involving the brain and neck areas, patients need to wear a mask during each session. The parameters of the radiation mask must be executed with near-perfect accuracy, fitting the patient’s face precisely. The mask helps stabilize the patient’s position, ensuring the most effective radiation treatment possible.
After several attempts at persuasion from healthcare staff and his mother, 6-year-old Hoàng Đức finally lay down on the stabilization table to make the mask. His mother, Lưu Thị Hoan (38 years old, Đắk Lắk), had to coax and encourage him. “You go first, and after you’re done, I’ll make one too. We can wear our masks and have fun,” she whispered while kissing his cheek.
Listening to his mother, Đức lay on the stabilization table, with a foam cushion shaped to fit his back. The boy clenched his hands and shut his eyes tightly. The technician used contrast agent-soaked thread to mark the surgery scar on the patient’s skin, ensuring the correct treatment volume after the CT simulation. The 6-year-old boy was diagnosed with a rare left parotid sarcoma, classified as high-risk and in stage 4. After surgery and nine rounds of chemotherapy, he was prescribed to undergo simulation for a mask to receive 20-30 radiation sessions.
Using a hard plastic piece, the technician placed it in a steam machine for about 5-7 minutes at a temperature of 70-75 degrees Celsius, waited a few seconds, sprayed water to cool it, and then applied it to the patient’s face. The technician secured the mask with clamps on the table, adjusting it to fit the contours of the patient’s face, much like a pottery artist at work.
Next, the doctor determined the simulation center at the patient’s chin, and the technician took measurements to fill out the information form. This step is crucial in establishing the center’s position relative to the patient’s anatomical landmarks. This process helps reduce the error rate during radiation treatment; if the adhesive tape marking the center falls off during treatment, the information form is used to measure and re-establish the radiation center. Thus, in just 15 minutes, the radiation mask was complete.
Once the measurements are done, the technician proceeds to the control room to perform a CT simulation for the patient. This allows the doctor to determine the treatment volume, calculate the radiation dose, establish the treatment range, and assess the intensity of the beams. During this time, the patient waits for about 10 minutes for the mask to harden. For children who are scared and cry, family members are allowed to wear lead aprons and stay with them during the CT scan. However, during radiation therapy, only the child remains in the empty room with the equipment.
According to Dr. Lâm Đức Hoàng, Head of the Head and Neck Radiation Therapy Department at Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Hospital, children must stay alone in the simulation room, only able to breathe through tiny holes in the mask. Thus, the technician must work while reassuring the child, encouraging them to breathe deeply and steadily. The doctor shows the child videos of others undergoing the procedure or provides them with cute stuffed animals and toys. Once the masks are completed, the nurses will draw various shapes on them to make the experience enjoyable and reduce anxiety. A simple mask can take about 30 minutes to decorate, while a more complex design could take several hours.
Thái Hòa (12 years old) holds her pink cat-shaped radiation mask made just for her. When she first fell ill in 2023, there were no symptoms of pain; just a small lump near her ear was the size of a chopstick head. After being diagnosed with a parotid gland tumor, Thái Hòa’s long journey of treatment officially began. Following surgery at Children’s Hospital No. 1, she was scheduled for 25 radiation sessions at Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Hospital.
Because the tumor was located at the center of many nerves, doctors were concerned about the risk of facial asymmetry. Fortunately, after the surgery, her condition stabilized. Receiving her radiation mask from the nurse, decorated with her favorite character, Thái Hòa admired it throughout the day. She mentioned that she was no longer worried, as the radiation was painless; she just needed to lie down and sleep for a while.
Like Đức and Hòa, hundreds of other children undergoing radiation therapy at Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Hospital receive special care from doctors, nurses, and technicians compared to adult patients. The healthcare staff here nurture the children, hoping to alleviate some of their physical and emotional pain.
Once the simulation mask is complete, adults will receive a small tattoo-like dot on their chest. This mark serves as a reference point during each treatment session and will remain for life. However, for children, doctors will not tattoo them due to the pain and because they have a long life ahead. If they recover, doctors do not want them to be reminded of painful days when looking at a tattoo.
Behind the colorful cancer radiation masks at Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Hospital are hundreds of different stories from unfortunate children battling hard-to-treat diseases, along with the love and care that adults strive to ease the pain of their childhood.
