Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy injures or destroys cells in a targeted treatment area by damaging the cancer’s genetic material, so that the cells stop growing. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage as many cancer cells as possible and to limit the effect on nearby healthy tissue. While radiation does damage both cancer cells and normal cells, normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation and function properly.

Radiation therapy is used to fight many types of cancer and can be used in combination with surgery and chemotherapy. It is often used to shrink a tumor as much as possible before surgery. Radiation can also be given after surgery to prevent the cancer from coming back.

Most people who receive radiation therapy for cancer have external radiation, or treatment that comes from a machine outside the body. In other cases, internal radiation, or radiation that is placed inside the body very close to or inside the tumor may be the best course of treatment.

Systemic radiation therapy, which may be taken by mouth or injected into the body, is often used in the treatment of thyroid and adult non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center Network offers the most advanced technology available in radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer, including:

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

IMRT is a new type of radiation treatment that uses radiation beams of varying intensities to deliver different doses of radiation to small areas of tissue at the same time. The sophisticated technology allows for the delivery of higher doses of very targeted radiation within the tumor, resulting is less radiation exposure and damage to nearby healthy tissue.

In some cases, IMRT can be administered to the patient each day, potentially shortening the overall treatment time and improving the success of the treatment. IMRT may also lead to fewer side effects during treatment.

Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

IGRT is the process of using two and three-dimensional imaging, such as a CT or PET scan, during a course of radiation treatment to more precisely direct radiation therapy. The goal of the IGRT process is to improve the accuracy of the radiation field placement, and to reduce the exposure of healthy tissue during radiation treatments.

By improving precision and accuracy through IGRT, radiation is decreased to surrounding healthy tissues, allowing for increased radiation to the tumor for control.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a form of radiation therapy that focuses high-powered x-rays onto a small area. Despite its name, it is not considered a surgical procedure. Regular radiation therapy directs radiation to the tumor and nearby tissue. Stereotactic radiosurgery more precisely focuses radiation onto the abnormal area.

It is often used to slow down the growth of small, deep brain tumors that are hard to remove during surgery. Such therapy may also be used in patients who are unable to have surgery, such as the elderly or those who are very sick. Radiosurgery may also be used after surgery to treat any remaining abnormal tissue.

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is one of the latest advances in radiation treatment methods. In this procedure, radiation oncologists insert plastic tubes or needles directly into the tumor or place a hollow applicator inside a body cavity. A remote-controlled machine inserts radioactive material into the tubes and leaves it in place in the tumor for a few minutes. Several treatments may be given during a few days to weeks.

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