CION Ameerpet
Records & Process Literacy — Getting Your Files
How to Get Your Radiation Records — and Your Treatment Plan Files
If you are seeking a second opinion, moving centres, or coordinating a parent’s treatment from another city or another country, everything depends on one thing: getting the actual files out of the centre that holds them. Not a discharge summary. The planning scan, the outlines your team drew, the plan itself and the dose it delivered. This page sets out who owns those records, exactly what to ask for by name, and how long it usually takes.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kirti Ranjan Mohanty, Radiation Oncologist, MBBS · MD (Radiation Oncology), Senior Consultant · Last reviewed August 2026
- Who owns what — the centre keeps the record; the information in it is yours, and you can have a copy.
- Ask for it by name — the four DICOM files a reviewing team actually needs, spelled out.
- The usual timeline — what 72 hours means in practice, and what really slows a request down.
- Requesting from abroad — the authorisation letter that lets a relative act, and what to send first.
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The direct answer
Who Owns Your Radiation Records?
The centre that treated you owns and stores the record itself. The information inside it is yours, and you are entitled to a copy. Under the Indian Medical Council professional conduct regulations, records are expected to be released to a patient or an authorised attendant within 72 hours of a written request.
That distinction is the whole reason this page exists. Families are rarely refused outright. What happens instead is that they ask the wrong desk, in the wrong words, without a signed request — and the file simply does not move. Nobody is being obstructive. The person at the counter genuinely cannot export a radiotherapy plan, because that is done by the medical physics team, on the planning system, on their own schedule.
Your radiation file is also not one file. It lives in at least three places: the medical records department holds the notes and summaries, the imaging department holds the diagnostic scans, and the radiation oncology and physics team holds the planning data. A request that names only one of them will come back with only one of them.
One point about how this works at CION. Your radiotherapy is delivered at an NABH-accredited partner centre; CION Cancer Clinics coordinates your treatment plan, your oncology team and your care throughout. In practice that means the records desk you write to is the partner centre’s, and our coordination team can tell you which department holds which part of your file.
A necessary caveat. This page describes general practice in Indian hospitals. It is not legal advice, and it is not a guarantee about any particular centre’s policy, including our partner centres. If a request is declined, ask that centre for its own written record-release policy.
Second question, answered directly
What Exactly Should You Ask For?
Ask for six things by name: the planning CT series, the RT Structure Set, the RT Plan, the RT Dose file, the signed treatment summary, and your diagnostic scans with the pathology report. The first four are the DICOM-RT objects a reviewing team needs. A PDF summary can be read, but it cannot be re-checked.
This is the part almost nobody publishes, and it is the difference between a second opinion that takes a week and one that never happens. Use these words in the request letter exactly as they appear below.
| What to ask for | What it actually is | Why a reviewing team needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Planning CT series (DICOM CT) | The simulation scan taken with you positioned exactly as you were treated | Every outline and every dose calculation sits on these images. Nothing else opens without them. |
| RT Structure Set (RTSTRUCT) | The outlines your team drew — the target volumes and the organs being protected | Shows what was treated and what was deliberately avoided. This is where second opinions most often differ. |
| RT Plan (RTPLAN) | The beam arrangement, energies, angles and fractionation the machine was instructed to deliver | Describes the technique used, such as 3D conformal, IMRT, VMAT or a stereotactic approach. |
| RT Dose (RTDOSE) | The calculated dose distribution across the treated volume and the surrounding tissue | Lets a reviewer see how much dose reached the target and how much reached nearby organs. |
| Treatment summary or completion certificate | A signed page naming the site treated, total dose, dose per fraction and number of fractions | The single document you will be asked for again and again for the rest of your life. |
| Diagnostic scans and pathology report | The CT, MRI or PET-CT discs and the histopathology report the diagnosis rests on | A reviewer needs the evidence the plan was built from, not only the plan itself. |
Two additions worth making. If you have had radiation before, in any region, ask for that earlier course’s summary too — the dose an area has already received limits what can safely be given again. And ask for the files as DICOM on a disc, a USB drive or a secure link, not as screenshots or a printed dose report. A printout cannot be recalculated.
If you are still in the run-up to treatment rather than after it, our companion page on the documents to collect before you start radiation covers the other half of this file.
Did you know?
DICOM is the international standard that medical images are stored and exchanged in, maintained by the DICOM Standards Committee, and its radiotherapy extension defines the plan, structure set and dose objects by name. That standard is precisely why asking for “the RT Plan, RT Structure Set and RT Dose” is understood at almost any radiotherapy centre, whichever manufacturer’s machine treated you — and why a plan exported at one centre can usually be opened at another. (Standard current as of August 2026.)
Step by step
How Do You Actually Request the DICOM Files?
Write to the Medical Records Officer, copy the radiation oncology department, and name the files precisely. Attach photo ID, and an authorisation letter if a relative is asking. Say how you want the files delivered, ask what the release costs, and check the disc opens before you leave the city.
1
Put the request in writing — Write a dated letter to the Medical Records Officer, copied to the radiation oncology department. A verbal request at the counter leaves no trace and starts no clock.
2
Name the files exactly — Ask for the DICOM RT Plan, RT Structure Set, RT Dose and planning CT series, plus the signed treatment summary. Vague requests come back as a discharge summary.
3
Attach proof of identity — Send the patient photo ID, and if a relative is asking, a signed authorisation letter naming them with both IDs. This is where remote requests stall most often.
4
State how you want it delivered — Ask for a disc, a USB drive you supply, or a secure upload link. A full plan set runs to hundreds of megabytes, so email attachments will not carry it.
5
Ask what the release costs, in writing — Many centres charge a media and administration fee. Any figure is indicative only, as of August 2026, and differs between centres and between file types.
6
Open the disc before you travel home — Check it holds RTPLAN, RTSTRUCT, RTDOSE and the CT series, not only a report PDF. A second trip is far harder than a five-minute check at the desk.
Keep a dated copy of the letter you send and note the name of the person who received it. That single habit resolves most of the follow-up conversations that otherwise turn into three separate phone calls.
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Third question, answered directly
How Long Does It Usually Take?
Expect days, not hours. The professional conduct expectation is 72 hours from a written request, and reports often arrive inside that window. DICOM plan files usually take longer, commonly three to ten working days, because they are exported by the medical physics team rather than handed over at the records counter.
| What you asked for | Usual working time | What slows it down |
|---|---|---|
| Reports and discharge summary | 1–3 working days | The request was verbal, or the file has been archived off-site. |
| Treatment summary or completion certificate | 1–5 working days | Waiting on a consultant signature, especially around leave. |
| Diagnostic scan discs | 1–5 working days | Archive retrieval, or scans done at a different centre entirely. |
| DICOM RT plan set | 3–10 working days | Physics team availability, the export queue, and consultant approval. |
| Anything requested by a relative | Add several days | A missing authorisation letter, or a name that does not match the ID. |
These ranges describe general practice across Indian centres. They are not a commitment from any centre, including our partner centres. Ask the records desk to state their own turnaround in writing on the day you file the request, and note the date you filed it — that date is what any later follow-up rests on.
Plan around the delay rather than against it. If the reason you need the files is a change of centre, start the request the same week the decision is being discussed, not after it is made — our guide to transferring radiation treatment to another centre mid-course explains why a gap in a running course matters more than a gap before one starts.
For families coordinating from a distance
Can a Relative Request the Files From Another City or Country?
Yes, with written authorisation. A relative can file the request if the patient signs a dated letter naming them and both identity documents are attached. Most centres will start work on a scanned letter, though many still want a physical signature or an in-person collection at the end.
Send the authorisation first
Email a scanned, signed and dated authorisation letter with both ID copies before you phone. Most desks will not discuss a file until that is on record.
Ask for a secure upload link
Before booking a courier, ask whether the centre can share the study through its own portal or a hospital transfer link. Ask for the file size too.
Name one contact in India
Time zones defeat this process. Nominate one relative or attendant who can walk to the desk, sign for the disc and check that it opens on the spot.
Keep the patient deciding
The consent to release records is the patient’s, not yours. Ask them each time and note that you did. This page is general guidance, not legal advice.
Do not repack the DICOM
Send the folder exactly as the centre gave it. Renaming files or compressing them with an unfamiliar tool is a common reason a reviewer cannot open the set.
Request the summary in parallel
The treatment summary is one signed page and often arrives days before the plan files. Ask for both at once so a reviewing team can start reading.
If you are managing appointments and reports from overseas as well as records, our page on coordinating radiation treatment remotely covers the wider job this sits inside.
When it stalls
What If the Centre Will Not Give You the Files?
Ask for the refusal in writing, with the reason stated. Most refusals are procedural rather than principled — an unsigned request, a missing authorisation, a mismatched name, or a physics team that was never asked. Escalate politely and in order, keeping a dated copy of everything you send.
1
Confirm the request actually reached physics — Ask the radiation oncology department directly whether the export request has been passed to the medical physics team. This is the most common single point of failure.
2
Ask for the reason in writing — A written reason turns a vague delay into something you can act on. It also tends to move a file that has been sitting unread.
3
Escalate in order, not all at once — Treating department first, then the medical records officer, then hospital administration, then the centre’s own grievance channel. Jumping ahead rarely helps.
4
Keep the paper trail — Dated copies of every letter, the name of who received it and the date. This is what any later step, of whatever kind, will be built on.
Two things worth saying plainly. You do not need anyone’s permission to seek a second opinion, and you are under no obligation to say where the files are going. Asking for your own records is a normal request, not a complaint about your team.
And again, because it matters: this page is not legal advice. If a written request goes unanswered, ask the centre for its own record-release policy in writing and take advice locally on what to do next.
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Common questions
Radiation Records and Plan Files — Your Questions Answered
Who owns my radiation therapy records?
The centre that treated you owns and stores the record itself, including the discs and the server it sits on. The information inside it is yours, and you are entitled to a copy of it. Under the Indian Medical Council professional conduct regulations, medical records are expected to be released to a patient or an authorised attendant within 72 hours of a written request. In practice that clock starts when a signed, dated letter reaches the medical records desk, not when you ask at a counter. This page describes general practice in Indian hospitals and is not legal advice.
What is a DICOM RT plan and why do I need it?
DICOM is the international standard that medical images are stored in, and its radiotherapy extension defines the files a radiation plan is made of. The four that matter are the planning CT series, the RT Structure Set holding the outlines your team drew, the RT Plan describing the beams, and the RT Dose file showing where the dose landed. A second-opinion team needs these because a PDF summary can be read but not re-checked. Contours and dose can only be reviewed inside planning software, and that software needs the original DICOM objects.
How do I request my radiotherapy records and plan files?
Write to the Medical Records Officer of the centre that treated you, copying the radiation oncology department, and date the letter. Name the files precisely: the DICOM RT Plan, RT Structure Set, RT Dose and planning CT series, plus the signed treatment summary. Attach the patient photo ID, and a signed authorisation letter if a relative is asking. Say how you want the files delivered, since a full plan set is far too large to email. Ask what the release will cost in writing, and open the disc before you leave to confirm it holds the plan files and not only a report.
How long does it take to get radiation records in India?
Expect days rather than hours. The professional conduct expectation is 72 hours from a written request, and simple items such as reports and a discharge summary often arrive inside that window. DICOM plan files usually take longer, commonly three to ten working days, because they are exported by the medical physics team rather than by the records counter. Scan discs depend on archive retrieval. A request filed by a relative adds time whenever the authorisation letter or the identity documents do not match. These ranges describe general practice and are not a commitment from any centre.
Can a family member abroad request my radiation records?
Yes, with written authorisation. Most centres will begin work on a scanned, signed and dated letter from the patient naming the relative, sent with copies of both identity documents. Ask early whether the files can be shared through a secure upload link rather than a courier, and ask for the file size before arranging anything. Nominate one person in India who can go to the desk, sign for the disc and confirm it opens. Keep the patient making the decisions throughout, because the consent to release records is theirs and not the family member's.
What can I do if the hospital will not release my records?
Ask for the refusal in writing, with the reason stated. Most refusals turn out to be procedural rather than principled: an unsigned request, a missing authorisation letter, a mismatched name, or a physics team that was never asked for the export. Escalate politely and in order, from the treating department to the medical records officer, then to hospital administration, then to the centre grievance channel, keeping a dated copy of everything you send. You do not need permission to seek a second opinion, and you do not have to say where the files are going. This page is not legal advice.