MD Radiotherapy
Direct answer
MD Radiotherapy — also named MD Radiation Oncology at some universities — is the three-year postgraduate degree in the treatment of cancer with radiation. Training spans the physics of therapeutic radiation, planning and delivery of modern radiotherapy, and the combined-modality management of cancer patients alongside surgeons and medical oncologists. Doctors enter after MBBS and internship through counselling driven by NEET-PG ranks, or INI-CET for the institutes of national importance. The degree qualifies a doctor to practise as a radiation oncologist and to run cancer-treatment services.
Course structure and curriculum
- Radiation and tumour biology: fractionation, oxygen effect, therapeutic ratio concepts.
- Radiotherapy equipment: linear accelerators, cobalt units, brachytherapy sources and simulators.
- Treatment planning: contouring, dose prescription, beam arrangements and plan evaluation.
- Intensity-modulated and image-guidated radiotherapy techniques with quality assurance.
- Brachytherapy for gynaecological, head-and-neck and other cancers.
- Site-wise clinical training: head and neck, breast, lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, gynaecological, brain and bone malignancies.
- Combined-modality care with chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgery sequencing.
- Paediatric radiotherapy and palliative radiation for pain and metastases.
- Oncological emergencies and supportive care during treatment.
- Toxicity management: radiation reactions, late effects and survivorship follow-up.
- Cancer staging workups with imaging and tumour markers; multidisciplinary tumour board participation.
- Research methodology, dose-statistics and dissertation work.
Entrance examinations
Radiotherapy seats are allotted on NEET-PG merit; NBEMS conducts the examination, with the MCC counselling the All India Quota and central or deemed university seats and state bodies filling state quotas. INI-CET, conducted by AIIMS New Delhi, covers radiotherapy at the AIIMS campuses, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry. Aspirants should be firm on cancer pathology, staging principles and pharmacology of chemotherapeutic drugs, layered over the complete clinical MBBS syllabus the entrance demands.
University examinations
Trainees are assessed through internal tests, planning-case portfolios, machine and procedure logs, tumour-board presentations and journal clubs. The dissertation is compulsory under NMC norms — typically a treatment-outcome or planning study — and must be accepted before the final examination. The finals include theory papers on radiation physics, cancer biology, clinical radiotherapy and recent advances. The practical involves a long case with treatment planning on contouring software or films, plan evaluation, short cases, spotters of applicators and beams-eye views, and viva on fractionation decisions, emergencies and equipment.
Career pathways after MD Radiotherapy
Graduates practise as radiation oncologists in cancer centres, government institutes and corporate hospitals, and the national cancer-care expansion continues to add posts. Academic careers in teaching institutes combine clinical work and research. Super-speciality options include DrNB or fellowship pathways in specific technique areas such as stereotactic and paediatric radiation oncology; many graduates deepen skills through advanced planning and brachytherapy fellowships.
Preparation with PrepElephant
PrepElephant's app contains previous-year NEET-PG and INI-CET questions, question banks, mock tests and revision tools for radiotherapy aspirants, and residents use the same material while preparing university assessments. Free guides on the website set out counselling and study planning. The platform offers practice, not promises.
Frequently asked questions
How long is MD Radiotherapy?
Three years after MBBS and the compulsory rotating internship, divided between clinical oncology wards, planning suites and machine rooms.
Which entrance exam is needed for MD Radiotherapy?
NEET-PG conducted by NBEMS for most seats, followed by MCC or state counselling; INI-CET covers the AIIMS group including PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry.
Does MD Radiotherapy require a thesis?
Yes. A dissertation under a university guide, completed and accepted before the final examination, is a compulsory requirement of the MD degree under NMC norms.
Is radiotherapy the same as medical oncology?
No. Radiotherapy treats cancer with radiation, whereas medical oncology administers systemic drugs such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy; the two are distinct MD and DM disciplines that work together.
What is the scope of radiation oncology in India?
Cancer centres, government oncology institutes and corporate hospitals employ radiation oncologists, and demand tracks the expansion of cancer-treatment capacity across the country.
Practise this in the PrepElephant app
Question banks, previous-year questions, mock tests and revision tools — for MD Radiotherapy. Free to start.