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Treatments

The Department of Radiation Medicine at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute provides leading edge state-of-art and compassionate patient care in the scholarly environment enriched with excellence in research and education.

 We offer the full spectrum of radiation therapy modalities including:

Modalities:

 
External beam radiation therapy is a method of delivering high energy x-rays that easily penetrate the body to reach the tumor. The treatment is delivered with specialized equipment called a Linear Accelerator. During the patient's treatment, the linear accelerator will rotate to several different angles around the patient to deliver individually shaped beams to the tumor or target. These beams are closely adjusted (conformed) to converge onto the tumor to deliver the planned dose of radiation (Conformal Radiation Therapy). Treatment is painless and feels just like having an x-ray taken.

One form of highly focused external beam radiation therapy is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). For this type treatment, not only do multiple fields converge on one target, but also the radiation dose within each field is modulated to include or exclude normal tissues and deliver higher doses to the tumor tissue.

 
In Stereotactic Radiosurgery, the radiation dose is given to a small target (tumor) in an even more focused fashion. One option of Stereotactic Radiosurgery is the Gamma Knife. With this specialized radiation machine, 201 tiny, Cobalt60 radioactive sources precisely direct radiation beams, which all converge in one spot. Complex computer computations are carried out to create an individualized treatment plan for each patient and each tumor.

To learn more about Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

 
Brachytherapy is a treatment of tumors by applying the radiation "from the inside" of the patient. Radioactive sources are placed around or into a tumor using special applicators. These sources my stay in the tumor region temporarily (Temporary brachytherapy implant) or permanently (Permanent brachytherapy implant). Temporary brachytherapy implants can be done as an outpatient procedure (High-dose-rate brachytherapy), or as an inpatient procedure (Low-dose-rate brachytherapy), which require a few days in the hospital. Brachytherapy procedures are often done under anesthesia. Sometimes they are done along with surgery of the tumor (Intraoperative brachytherapy).

To learn more about Brachytherapy

To learn more about Prostate Brachytherapy

 
In some tumors, normal tissues are very closely adjacent to the tumor region. In order to protect those normal tissues from radiation, the treatment can be delivered during surgery when these normal tissues can be moved out of the way. Only very few centers in the country have Intraoperative Radiation Therapy. We have a dedicated radiation therapy machine in the operating room to provide this option to our patients.

 We treat a wide range of body sites including:

Sites:
 Bone
 Brain/Central Nervous System
 Breast
 Endocrine
 Endovascular
 Gastrointestinal
 Genitourinary /Prostate
 Gynecology
 Head & Neck
 Hodgkins
 Leukemia
 Lung
 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
 Pediatric
 Skin
 Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Equipment

  • Four linear accelerators with high energy photons and electrons
  • Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
  • Stereotactic radiosurgery (Includes Gamma Knife)
  • Permanent, low-dose-rate, and high-dose-rate brachytherapy
  • Intraoperative high-dose-rate brachytherapy
  • Mobile intraoperative electron beam radiation therapy

    Simulators

  • CT Simulator
  • Conventional Simulator

    Imaging & Treatment Planning Systems

  • 3 dimensional radiation therapy treatment planning system, including conformal
  • Brachytherapy planning system
  • Real time interstitial implant planning system
  • Functional and molecular imaging for radiation therapy planning (PET/CT)
  • Computer radiography system for portal imaging

    Clinical Systems

  • Electronic record & verify, scheduling, e-charting and image management system

    Special Treatment Options

  • Total Body Radiation Therapy
    Total body radiation is a specialized treatment that is given with some types of bone marrow transplants. It requires treatment to the entire body using a Linear Accelerator and a special treatment set-up and complex treatment calculations.

  • Total Skin Radiation Therapy
     We are specializing in total skin radiation therapy, which is a rare treatment for certain rare skin disorders, including lymphoma, e.g. Mycosis Fungoides. Total skin radiation therapy is given with a linear accelerator using a special set-up and complex treatment calculations.

    To view the members of our Radiation Oncology Team, please click on the appropriate link below.

  • Meet our Physicians
  • Meet our Residents, Fellows, and Physician Assistant
  • Meet our Physicists and Dosimetrists
  • Meet our Nurses
  • Meet our Therapists
  • Meet our Administration and Support