Weekly Cisplatin — Alongside Radiotherapy
Seeing cisplatin listed alongside radiotherapy on your treatment plan raises a fair question: why both, and at the same time? Cisplatin is not being given as a separate treatment here — it is working to make the radiation more effective.
- A radiosensitiser — Cisplatin makes cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation damage rather than acting as a standalone chemotherapy.
- Once a week by IV — Given as an intravenous infusion on one of your daily radiation days, typically with IV fluids before and after.
- Kidney monitoring throughout — Your kidney function is checked before most doses because cisplatin is cleared through the kidneys.
- Side effects from both at once — Fatigue, nausea and local radiation reactions are more pronounced when both treatments run together.
Medically reviewed by Dr. N. Kiranmayee, Medical Oncologist · Last reviewed September 2026
Weekly cisplatin is given during radiotherapy to act as a radiosensitiser — a drug that makes cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation damage. This combination is called concurrent chemoradiation, often shortened to CRT or CCRT on treatment charts. Your oncologist prescribes it when the evidence for your specific cancer type supports this combined approach.
Why is cisplatin given at the same time as radiotherapy?
Radiation damages cancer cells by breaking their DNA. Cisplatin makes it harder for those cells to repair that damage. Each radiation fraction therefore inflicts more lasting injury on the cancer.
This is the radiosensitiser role. Cisplatin is not added to treat the cancer separately — it is present to amplify what the radiation is already doing.
Concurrent chemoradiation using cisplatin is part of the standard approach for several cancer types according to NCCN, ESMO and ASCO guidance. Your oncologist will have explained which cancer type and stage your regimen is designed for.
What does a week of chemoradiation treatment actually involve?
Radiation is typically given five days a week, Monday to Friday, in short daily sessions called fractions. Most days, this is the only appointment.
Once a week you will also receive cisplatin as an intravenous infusion. That day is longer because IV fluids are given before the cisplatin and again after it, to protect your kidneys.
Before most weekly doses, a blood test checks your kidney function and blood counts. If a result falls outside the safe range, that week's dose may be held until your team has reviewed it.
The overall duration is set by the radiation schedule your radiation oncologist has planned. The cisplatin runs alongside it for the weeks your oncologist has outlined.
Who is not suitable for weekly cisplatin with radiotherapy?
Weekly cisplatin with radiotherapy is not given to everyone who needs concurrent chemoradiation. Several groups are not suitable.
- Significantly reduced kidney function. Cisplatin is cleared through the kidneys, and significantly impaired renal function increases the risk of serious kidney damage.
- Pre-existing substantial hearing loss. Cisplatin can cause permanent hearing damage, and those with existing hearing loss are at higher risk of further loss.
- Significant pre-existing peripheral neuropathy. Cisplatin can worsen nerve damage in the hands and feet.
- Known allergy or hypersensitivity to platinum compounds. This includes prior reactions to carboplatin or oxaliplatin.
- Low blood counts or significant bone marrow suppression.
- Pregnancy. Cisplatin carries serious risks to a developing foetus.
- Substantially reduced overall fitness. The combined burden of chemotherapy and radiotherapy may not be appropriate.
Eligibility is decided by an oncologist weighing the cancer type, stage, kidney function, and the overall health of the individual.
Are the side effects harder to manage when both treatments run together?
Yes, in most cases. Both sets of side effects are active at once. They can compound each other — fatigue in particular tends to build over the weeks of concurrent treatment.
Nausea is common on cisplatin days. You will receive antiemetic medicine before the infusion. Your team can adjust it if nausea is not adequately controlled — there are several effective options.
The radiation side effects depend on the area being treated. Head and neck chemoradiation commonly causes mouth soreness and difficulty swallowing. Pelvic chemoradiation can cause bowel and bladder changes.
Hearing and kidney function are monitored specifically because of cisplatin. Report any new ringing in the ears, changes in hearing, or reduced urine output to your team promptly.
What do the abbreviations on my treatment chart mean?
- CCRT / CRT
- Concurrent chemoradiotherapy, or concurrent chemoradiation therapy. The name for the combination of chemotherapy given at the same time as radiation. Both abbreviations appear on treatment charts and mean the same thing.
- CDDP
- The pharmacy shorthand for cisplatin, derived from its chemical name cis-diamminedichloroplatinum. You may see this on your drug chart or on the IV bag label in place of the word cisplatin.
- Radiosensitiser
- A drug given to make cancer cells more sensitive to radiation damage. Cisplatin acts partly in this way — it interferes with the repair mechanisms cancer cells use after each radiation fraction.
- RT / EBRT
- Radiotherapy and external beam radiotherapy. EBRT means the radiation comes from a machine outside the body, which is the standard method used alongside weekly cisplatin.
- GFR
- Glomerular filtration rate. A blood test result that measures how well the kidneys are filtering waste from the blood. Checked before most cisplatin doses because the drug is cleared through the kidneys.
- Fractions
- The individual daily doses of radiation. A radiotherapy course is divided into many small daily fractions, typically given five days a week. Each fraction itself lasts only a few minutes.
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HUB — Cycles, Schedules and What Happens on Infusion Day
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Regimens, Cycles & Schedules
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The Infusion Day
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Frequently asked questions
Why is cisplatin given weekly rather than every three weeks?
Some concurrent chemoradiation protocols do use cisplatin every three weeks at a higher dose, and for certain cancer types that schedule is preferred. The weekly lower-dose schedule is more commonly used when daily radiation is running simultaneously, because it is generally better tolerated alongside the cumulative fatigue and local effects of radiation. Which schedule applies to you depends on your cancer type, kidney function, and the specific protocol your oncologist is following. If your chart shows a different interval, ask your team which protocol applies to you and why it was chosen.
Will I feel the cisplatin going in?
Most people do not feel the cisplatin during the infusion itself. The day is longer than a usual radiation visit because of the IV fluids given before and after. Nausea is the most common thing people notice in the hours that follow, and you will receive antiemetic medicine before the cisplatin starts to reduce this. If nausea is not adequately controlled, tell your team — there are several effective medicines and the combination can be adjusted.
What blood tests are done during treatment, and why?
Your team will check kidney function and blood counts before most cisplatin doses. Cisplatin is cleared through the kidneys, and a dose may be held if your kidney function has changed significantly. Blood counts are checked because cisplatin can affect the bone marrow. Magnesium and other electrolytes, which cisplatin can lower, may also be monitored. A hearing test is often arranged before treatment begins and may be repeated during or after it, because cisplatin can cause hearing loss.
Does the chemotherapy go to my whole body or only the cancer?
Cisplatin travels through the bloodstream and reaches tissues throughout the body, not only the tumour. This is what allows it to sensitise cancer cells to radiation — and it is also why it can affect the kidneys, hearing, and nerves elsewhere. The radiation, by contrast, is targeted to a specific area. Both effects — the whole-body effect of cisplatin and the local effect of radiation — are part of what your team monitors throughout treatment.
Can I eat and drink normally during chemoradiation?
Eating well is important and often harder than expected during chemoradiation. Nausea from cisplatin and soreness from radiation can both reduce appetite. If radiation is being given to the head, neck, or throat, swallowing may become increasingly difficult over the weeks of treatment. A dietitian is typically part of the care team for head and neck chemoradiation. Tell your team early if you are losing weight or struggling to eat — there are practical measures that help, and nutrition during treatment affects how you recover.
What happens if a cisplatin dose has to be held or stopped?
A dose may be held if kidney function, hearing, or blood counts fall outside the safe range. Whether a held dose is given later, skipped, or whether treatment continues with radiation alone depends on why it was held and how quickly values return to an acceptable level. Your oncologist will explain the decision and what it means for the overall plan. Holding a dose when it is the right clinical decision is not a setback — it is part of managing the treatment safely.
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