Radiation Oncology is a clinical and scientific specialty dedicated to the management of patients with cancer (and occasionally, a few non-malignant conditions) through radiation, or in combination with surgery and / or chemotherapy. There are two main types of radiation therapy: external beam radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy.

External beam radiation is also known as X-Ray therapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This type of radiation is administered using a treatment machine called a linear accelerator. Treatments are typically given in small daily doses, for several weeks, depending on the total and final dose of radiation that is planned /prescribed by the radiation oncologist.

Internal radiation therapy (also called brachytherapy) is achieved by implanting “sources or seeds” (small pieces of the radioactive substance) or by using an implanted device called a “reservoir”, into which a liquid radioactive substance is injected. This delivers very intense radiation to a small area of the body limiting the dose to the normal tissue.

Radiation Services

» IGRT is image-guided radiation therapy, a technique which enables the Radiation Oncologist to locate the tumor before each dose of radiation therapy is delivered.

» IMRT is an image-guided radiation therapy which allows the radiation oncologist to pinpoint the radiation on the tumor. This technique spares more normal tissue exposed to radiation during treatment.

» MammoSite is designed for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer patients who meet certain criteria. This specialized treatment consist of 10 treatments within 5 days. MammoSite will deliver a high dose of radiation to the area most at risk for recurrence. In addition, it limits the radiation dose to the surrounding normal breast and adjacent tissues, potentially minimizing side effects.

» Prostate Brachytherapy is a treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. This procedure is an ultrasound-guided implantation of radioiodine seeds into the prostate. This is a one-time procedure and is performed on an outpatient basis and takes approximately 2 hours.

Research/Clinical Trials
Radiation Oncology is active in clinical oncology, radiation biology and medical physics research programs. The purpose of clinical trials is to determine whether a new treatment is safe, effective or better than the standard treatment. Radiation oncology offers the latest clinical research available to appropriate patients. Ask your radiation oncologist if there is a clinical trial for you.