If your doctor has recommended radiation treatment (or radiotherapy) for cancer of the head, neck or brain, you will likely need a custom-made radiation mask to wear during your treatments.

“The purpose of the mask is to hold your head and neck still and in exactly the right position during treatment,” says Patti Chapin, a radiation therapy technologist in Roswell Park’s Radiation Medicine department. “It helps us to deliver the radiation beam precisely to the tumor and limit damage to healthy tissues nearby. The mask is your friend.”