Radiation Oncology

What to Expect

On a patient’s first visit, the radiation oncologist will discuss treatment options, including the role radiation will have with other treatment modalities including chemotherapy and surgery. After the initial visit, a specialized CT scan to localize the tumor cells will be scheduled. A treatment plan specific to the patient will be developed, overseen directly by the radiation oncologist. This planning process can take 1 day or up to 2 weeks depending on the type of treatment. When the treatment plan is complete, the patient will be scheduled to begin their radiation therapy treatments. Typically, treatments occur Monday through Friday until the total number of treatments prescribed by the physician has been delivered. A treatment course will generally last from 7 to 9 weeks.

 

Advanced Cancer Care

At The Cancer Center of Mobile, our patients are the priority; this is why we offer a variety of treatment options to best meet every patient’s individual needs. Services offered in our center include:

• 3-D Conformal treatments shape the radiation beam to the tumor, sparing radiation dose to healthy tissue. Cancers commonly treated with 3-D Conformal technique are lung, breast, and skin cancers.
• Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) varies the intensity of the radiation over the treatment area to reduce dose to healthy tissue while maximizing dose to the tumor. Cancers commonly treated with IMRT include: esophageal, lung, breast, brain, pancreatic, colorectal, lymphomas, bladder and sarcomas.
• RapidArc® is an advanced form of treatment delivery that is delivered quicker and more precisely than conventional treatments. RapidArc® treatment is utilized for cancers such as prostate, head & neck, esophageal, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, lymphomas, and bladder cancers.
• Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy delivers extremely precise, very intense doses of radiation to cancer cells while minimizing dose to normal tissue. Additionally these patients are fitted for a custom full body mold for comfort and motion reduction during treatment. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy can be used to treat small cancers in the body such as small lung cancers.
• Cone Beam CT imaging is used before and sometimes during treatment to verify proper alignment of the treatment borders. Millimeter adjustments are made to improve accuracy before treatment is delivered every day.