Radiation Oncology ServicesWheaton Franciscan – St. Joseph Campus offers the following radiation therapies for our patients. These therapies may be used alone or in connection with medical, surgical and other options as part of a comprehensive treatment package.
The appropriate treatments are selected based on a care plan that’s created just for you.
- Shaped beam radiosurgery – Incorporating the most advanced medical and computer technology available today, shaped beam radiosurgery delivers a concentrated dose of radiation to the tumor with submillimeter accuracy, protecting surrounding healthy tissue and delicate structures, such as the brainstem or spinal cord.
With this level of precision, we can treat some tumors previously deemed inoperable due to size, shape or location. By shaping the radiation beams to match the exact contour of the tumor, irregularly shaped tumors can also be treated effectively. Doctors can also change the beam shape for very fine control over how and where radiation is administered.
Radiation doses can be delivered at levels at least 60 percent higher than conventional methods, dramatically reducing the time spent in treatment and the number of treatments needed.
Shaped beam radiosurgery is also known as Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) or Stereotactic Radio Therapy (SRT), which are types of Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT).
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) – This treatment uses technology to “map” the patient’s anatomical structure and direct highly focused radiation beams to the tumor from different angles. Normal, noncancerous tissue is not affected during treatment.
- Conventional radiation therapy treatments – A linear accelerator delivers radiation treatments to impacted areas of the body.
- High dose rate brachytherapy – A high dose of radiation is directed to a tumor site in treatment sessions that last minutes instead of hours or days.
- 3D Treatment Planning – A planning tool that enables radiation oncologists to calculate more efficient in-depth radiation doses.
- Radiation therapy simulation technologies
- CT enabled – A “CT” scanner and simulator work together to precisely “map” out radiation treatment fields prior to treatment.
- Conventional simulation – A Varian simulator with fluoroscopy capabilities is used to determine treatment areas prior to treatment.
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