Radiation Therapy

• What is Radiation Therapy?
• Who can be treated at Good Shepherd?
• Types of Radiation Therapy
• What to expect
• Frequently asked questions in Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is one of the most widely used and effective treatments for many types of cancer. The Good Shepherd Hospital Radiation Oncology Center is at the forefront of this type of treatment utilizing state-of-the-art technology usually found only in large medical centers, yet conveniently located next door to the hospital in the Medical Office Building.

The Center is fully accredited by the Joint Commission. Results are tracked by a cancer registry and compared with The National Cancer database to ensure outcomes meet or exceed national standards.

What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation therapy involves the precise application of X-rays to a cancerous area in order to reduce its size, and in many cases, eliminate it entirely.

Who can be treated at Good Shepherd?
Equipped with a dual energy Linear Accelerator, and a CT simulator, the Center can treat patients of any age, with any type of cancer, regardless of tumor size and location.

Types of Radiation Therapy
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an innovative system for administering radiation into the body. IMRT directs multiple beams of varying intensity while minimizing the radiation dose to benign and healthy tissues. It allows physicians to target treatments and shield healthy tissue. IMRT is based on three-dimensional views from a CT scan taken before treatment begins.

Before the end of 2007, Good Shepherd will be one of very few hospitals in the country that use Varian Trilogy™ systems to provide image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). This leading technology allows more precise targeting of cancer tumors and spares more healthy tissue.

What to expect with radiation therapy
Initially there will be a 60-minute consultation to plan treatment and make treatment molds of the affected site in order to target the treatment. After that, a patient will have15-minute hospital visits five days a week, for six to eight weeks. The treatments are pain-free and there are minimal, site-specific side effects such as temporary skin redness. There are no significant long-term effects from radiation therapy.

Dietary and skincare consultations are available as appropriate.