Radiation Oncology

During external radiation therapy, the most common type of radiation treatment, you lie near a machine called a linear accelerator. The machine sends X-rays through your body into the tumor.

The time you're exposed to the radiation beam is often only a few minutes. The length of your appointment will depend on the custom treatment plan your doctor creates for you. Treatment usually lasts 15 to 30 minutes and includes time to do imaging to position you correctly.

Shielding Healthy Tissue

Healthy tissue near your tumor can be protected from radiation.

• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) – Matches a tumor’s shape and focuses the radiation dose to areas with more cancer cells
• Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) – Uses advanced, four-dimensional imaging to take pictures of your tumor during each treatment and ensure the radiation beam hits just the right spot
• Respiratory gating – Adjusts the radiation beam to follow tumors that move as you breathe
• Deep inspiration breath hold technique – Expands your lungs and pushes your heart out of the path of radiation sent to your left breast as you hold your breath

Treatment Planning

Trust our team to deliver precise radiation and create a treatment plan tailored to you with careful planning. Before treatment, we’ll take a CT scan. This allows your doctor to pinpoint the tumor and decide on the treatment amount.

During the CT scan, also called a simulation scan, you'll lay in the position you'll be in during radiation treatment. After your scan, we’ll place small marks on your skin to help you stay in the correct position during treatment. We may also create a custom device to help you stay still. The planning process is painless, and your care team will guide you along the way.