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Modalities:
External Beam Radiation Therapy
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.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
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
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
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy
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.
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