Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays that target specific cancer sites. Our advanced technology allows us to precisely aim the radiation at the tumor while avoiding damage to the normal, healthy cells. Radiation may be used to destroy cancer cells, relieve symptoms associated with cancer, and/or prevent the cancer from returning.
Your treatment is custom-tailored and unique to your diagnosis, tumor size, location and involvement. Your radiation oncologist (a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation) will review all available treatment options and recommend a personalized plan for you based on national guidelines, which guide all cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is used either alone or in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.
Radiation can be delivered either from outside the body with a machine called a linear accelerator (external beam radiation) or from a radiation source implanted permanently or temporarily in the body (brachytherapy).
Different types of radiation are used to treat specific types of cancer.
- 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) – The type of radiation used to treat cancer is very similar to a traditional x-ray although the beam is different. Radiation therapy uses a high-energy, focused beam of rays that selectively kill cancer cells and leave normal tissues alone.
- IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) – A form of 3D CRT, IMRT adjusts the intensity of the radiation beam to deliver a sculpted dose of radiation to the tumor while avoiding adjacent, healthy tissue.
- IGRT (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy) – With the addition of imaging technology, IGRT ensures the radiation therapist can see exactly how the tumor and surrounding tissue are positioned in the body each time they perform treatment. This additional visibility helps significantly reduce radiation side effects by preserving larger amounts of healthy tissue.
- SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy) – With SBRT, the radiation treatment system corrects for motion and organ position during treatment, delivering an accurate dose and controlling the amount of radiation that gets to organs in real time.