Radiation Oncology

Treatments Provided

3D conformal radiotherapy

In 3D conformal radiotherapy, radiation beams are sculpted to the shape of a tumor. Doctors use three-dimensional images to plan precise treatments and deliver radiation from several angles. This helps protect healthy tissue and organs. 3D conformal radiotherapy is often used on cancers with an unusual shape or cancers found near healthy body parts, tissues or organs.

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation that places radioactive materials on or next to cancer cells. This radiation therapy allows doctors to deliver high doses of radiation to cancer or tumors. There are several types of brachytherapy:

• High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy – During each session of this outpatient procedure, radioactive materials are placed inside the body for up to 20 minutes. Patients may need one or two sessions a day over several days or weeks.
• Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy – Radioactive materials are placed in the body and stay there for a few hours or several days. Patients stay in the hospital for this procedure.
• Seed therapy – Seed therapy can be high-dose or low-dose. Seeds (small radioactive materials) are placed on or next to cancer cells. This is often used to treat prostate cancer.

Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT)

High-quality images are taken before each radiation session. Then the images are used to narrowly focus radiation beams right on the cancer cells. IGRT is used to treat all types of cancer. It’s viewed as the standard of care for radiation.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

This advanced radiation therapy can treat cancer or noncancerous tumors. Similar to 3D conformal radiotherapy, high-intensity beams are shaped to the tumor. In IMRT, several beams are used, which allows doctors to adjust how strong the radiation is when it’s targeted at the tumor. This precision helps protect healthy tissues and limits the side effects of treatment.

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)

IORT is intense radiation therapy that’s used during surgery. This approach allows the surgeon to target high-dose radiation on the cancer cells or a tumor. IORT is most often used for cancers that are hard to remove. Your doctor may also recommend IORT if cancer cells might still be in the body after surgery.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy may help stop or slow cancer cell growth using high-energy beams. Often used along with other treatments, radiation therapy for breast cancer can include external beam radiation (outside the body) and internal beam radiation (inside the body, called brachytherapy). We offer advanced radiation that conforms to and targets your tumor, even if it moves. This can result in safer, more precise treatments. These include 3D conformal radiation and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)

This nonsurgical radiation therapy is most often used for brain, neck and spinal cord tumors and cancers. SRS uses 3D imaging to map radiation beams to target tumors and cancerous cells. This helps lower the risk of damaging nearby healthy tissue. SRS can also be used on other parts of the body; the name for that is stereotactic body radiotherapy (SRBT).