Radiation Therapy Services

Radiation therapy is one of several options in cancer treatment. It may be used alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy. External radiation beam is the most common form of radiation therapy. A linear accelerator produces beam of high energy radiation to treat cancer cells. It can be use to treat a variety of cancer and non-cancerous growths in people of every age group.

Radiation therapy can effectively relieve pain by reducing pressure from a cancerous growth, prolong life by slowing or stopping tumor growth, and save lives by curing certain cancers. 

External Beam Radiation

External beam radiation is the most common form of radiation therapy. It is produced by a linear accelerator, a machine that directs beams of high-energy radiation at cancer cells. When cancer cells are damaged by radiation, they eventually die off.

The type of treatment recommended depends on the location, size and type of cancer. External radiation therapies may include:

  • Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) may be used during external radiation treatment. IGRT makes certain that the patient and the tumor target are positioned accurately so the radiation given can be the smallest beam possible, reducing radiation exposure to healthy body tissue.
  • Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) uses sophisticated software to accurately shape the radiation beam and vary the dose intensity to narrow in on a precisely defined target. IMRT is used to treat prostate, head and neck, breast and many other types of cancer.
  • RapidArc (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) is an advanced treatment capability for delivering IMRT. The linear accelerator rotates around the patient while varying the shape of the treatment field and the dose intensity. This allows for a shorter treatment time and offers a potential for increased precision depending on the area of treatment.
  • Respiratory Gated treatment provides accurate delivery of radiation in synchronization with a patient’s individual breathing pattern. This offers greater precision and accuracy for treating tumors that can move with respiration, such as those in the lung.