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Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is also used to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. It can be used alone or with surgery or chemo. Radiation treatment is like getting an x-ray. Sometimes it’s given by putting a “seed” inside the cancer to give off the radiation. Sovah Health uses the new and sophisticated radiation planning and treatment to optimize outcomes for our patients.
The dedicated radiation care team includes radiation oncologists, a physicist, a dosimetrist, registered nurses, licensed radiation therapists and a data coordinator who are sensitive to the healing needs of the whole person. Our approach ensures a comprehensive treatment plan which focuses the radiation on the tumor while minimizing the risks to the surrounding normal organs and healthy tissue.
Internal radiation therapy is a form of treatment where a source of radiation is put inside your body. It is a type of radiation therapy in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near a tumor. Also called brachytherapy, implant radiation therapy and radiation brachytherapy. The patient usually stays in the hospital. The implants generally remain in place for several days.
The radiation comes from a large machine that aims radiation at your cancer. The machine is large and may be noisy. It does not touch you, but rotates around you, sending radiation to your body from many directions. It is a local treatment, meaning that the radiation is aimed only at a specific part of your body. For example, if you have lung cancer, you will get radiation to your chest only and not the rest of your body. Most people get external radiation therapy once a day, 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. Treatment lasts for 2 to 10 weeks, depending on the type of cancer you have and the goal of your treatment. The time between your first and last radiation therapy sessions is called a course of treatment.
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Sovah Cancer Center - |
Ravenel Cancer Center |
