Radiation therapy in Oujda: how it works
from simulation to the final session.

Radiation therapy does not start on the first session day, but at simulation. It is a planning CT done in the same position you'll take at every session.

During this simulation, the Clinique Achark team in Oujda:

• performs a CT targeted on the area to irradiate;
• makes skin markings (small permanent dots) to reposition the patient identically each day;
• adjusts the immobilisation devices (head support, thermoformed mask, vacuum mattress) according to the treated area.

For 4 to 7 days after simulation, the radiation physicist and radiation oncologist calculate all the irradiation parameters: number of beams, angles, intensity modulation (IMRT), total dose and fractionation.

This is the step that ensures the millimetric precision of modern radiation therapy and the protection of neighbouring organs (heart, spinal cord, rectum, bladder, depending on the area).

Radiation therapy sessions at Clinique Achark in Oujda last 15 to 20 minutes on average. The effective treatment time (irradiation) is only 2 to 5 minutes; the rest is positioning time.

You lie still, feeling nothing:

• the machine never touches your skin;
• you are not radioactive after the session;
• you go home immediately after.

The standard protocol comprises 5 to 35 sessions depending on the pathology, spread from Monday to Friday. Some examples at Clinique Achark in Oujda:

• Breast post-lumpectomy: 15 to 25 sessions (3 to 5 weeks).
• Prostate: 20 to 35 sessions (4 to 8 weeks), hypofractionated protocols available.
• Lung (SBRT): only 3 to 8 sessions (1 to 2 weeks).
• Painful bone metastasis: 1 to 5 sessions.

Side effects depend on the irradiated area. They are in the vast majority local and reversible:

• progressive fatigue (the most common);
• local skin redness (radiation dermatitis), prevented by soothing creams;
• digestive or urinary effects if abdominal-pelvic area;
• transient cough or shortness of breath if thoracic irradiation.

The Oujda team holds a weekly consultation during treatment to monitor tolerance and adapt the protocol if needed.

• Continue eating normally, drink 1.5 to 2 L of water per day.
• No perfumed soap on the irradiated area — use gentle products recommended by the team.
• Moderate physical activity recommended: 30 minutes of walking a day reduces radiation fatigue.
• Report any unusual pain: dedicated 24/7 line on ⁦+212 536-697777⁩.