Marks and tattoos historically allowed your radiation team to know exactly where to treat each day. These small tattoos and skin marks can provide alignment to the desired treatment area and are used as a guide at each of your radiation treatment visits. On average, patients receive three to four marks.
Technology is advancing, more and more centers are starting to adopt a new, more advanced tattoo and mark-free standard of treatment with AlignRT®.

Yes, some centers use permanent tattoos. During your simulation visit, permanent tattoos are applied to your skin to outline the treatment field. On average, patients receive three to four small marks.
Other centers use temporary marks made with a semi-permanent marker. These marks would also be applied at your simulation visit. It is important that these skin marks are kept for the duration of treatment to allow for accurate positioning each day. You will need to be careful when bathing and washing not to remove these marks.

For some individuals, radiation tattoos do not bother them. The needle itself can feel like a needle prick or bee sting. And, in the long term, patients may not notice or be bothered by the permanent marking. Some even see it as a reminder of their journey through their breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, if you feel tattoos are not right for you, it is possible to have the same treatment accuracy or better using other techniques.