Procedures

External Beam Radiation Therapy

External beam radiation therapy uses a high-energy linear accelerator to direct radiation to the target. The treatment does not make you radioactive. Most radiation treatment regimens require daily treatments, five days per week, over duration of one to nine weeks, depending on the course that your physician prescribes. Throughout your treatment period you may continue normal activities with family and friends. External beam radiation therapy is the basis for several other therapeutic techniques.

3D Conformal Radiation Therapy

RAS’ Radiation Oncology Centers perform three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3-D CRT), a specialized cancer treatment technology that shapes radiation beams to conform to the targeted tumor. Computed tomography (CT) imaging is used to develop a treatment plan that guides the design of a pattern of radiation beams conforming to the anatomy of the patient. A high-energy linear accelerator delivers the radiation in the prescribed pattern from several different directions.

This technique enables your radiation team to focus the necessary amount of radiation to the cancer site while sparing normal tissues, thereby decreasing the risk of side effects and complications. Conformal radiation therapy is particularly useful in treating cancers that are adjacent to vital structures or near organs that are sensitive to the effects of radiation.

4D Conformal Radiation Therapy

As extreme precision and accuracy are made possible through real time image guidance -- anatomic and biologic variables can be factored in to the treatment plan, ushering in a new level of treatment known as four-dimensional (4D) radiotherapy.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a high-precision form of radiotherapy enabling radiation oncologists to modulate ray beams on targets for treatment while protecting normal surrounding tissues from radiation. This “dose sculpting” technique escalates dose to the tumor while minimizing the risk of potential side effects.
 
IMRT is particularly applicable to treatment of cancers of the prostate, head, neck, thyroid, brain, breasts, lungs, liver and pelvis, as well as lymphoma and sarcoma. Your ROC radiation oncologist can tell you if your condition should be treated using IMRT.

Read More About IMRT

Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)

Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) is the newest generation therapy technique designed increase speed of the treatment, thereby improving patient comfort. The ROC delivers the highest grade VMAT technology available on the market at several of its centers and. VMAT, single or multiple radiation beams sweep in uninterrupted arc(s) around the patient, dramatically speeding treatment delivery. Normal treatment times of 8-12 minutes may be reduced down to as few as two minutes.