Radiation Treatment

There are five basic types of treatment for cancer. These treatments may be used alone or in combination with other therapies, depending on such things as type of cancer, stage at diagnosis and the patient’s overall health, as well as other factors. Patients should have an in-depth discussion with their physician to learn about the benefits of each recommended cancer treatment option or strategy, as well as potential side effects.

Chemotherapy: Medications that reduce cancer growth and spread
Radiotherapy: Internally or externally delivered radiation to inhibit cancer cell reproduction
Surgery: Removal of cancerous tumors and other obstructions
Hormone Therapy: Medications that aid or limit the presence or activity of hormones to control cancer growth
Immunotherapy: Therapy that aids the body’s own immune system to affect cancer cells including CAR T-cell therapy

Battling cancer is a difficult challenge for patients and loved ones, and at times can be overwhelming. There are many organizations that can help by connecting you to valuable resources and by providing helpful information to guide you during cancer treatment and survivorship. Your care team can also offer assistance in many critical areas and put you in touch with local resources that are available.

Cancer.Net (www.cancer.net) is an excellent place to start gathering information that can help you and your family make informed decisions to better cope with cancer. This website provides comprehensive, oncologist-approved information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is supported by the Conquer Cancer Foundation.

Other Helpful Cancer

Support Resources
The American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org
The Cancer Support Community: www.cancersupportcommunity.org
National Cancer Institute: www.cancer.gov
The National Family Caregivers Association: www.thefamilycaregiver.org

CANCER CARE TECHNOLOGIES

Halcyon™ by Varian is the latest breakthrough in radiation therapy, offering patients fast and high-quality treatment in this reimagined and advanced system. This new system provides faster treatment delivery times which can be completed in 17 seconds or less. Faster image guidance and treatment delivery means less time on the table for the patient and less potential for patient movement during the treatment. This technology is especially beneficial for prostate patients as it allows for a more conformal radiation dose to the prostate and less radiation to surrounding normal tissues. Halcyon was designed to enhance patient comfort such as a quiet system, smooth motion, and easy access.

Computer Tomography (CT) Scanning & Simulation allows the cancer specialists to design a treatment plan specifically for the patient based on the size, location, and shape of the tumor. The patient will have three-dimensional images (CT Scans) taken. These are used with the treatment planning software that helps determine how to best deliver the radiation beams while reducing damage to surrounding areas. In some cases, it may be necessary to mark the patient’s skin with a tiny marker so that the patient is perfectly realigned in the correct position for every session of radiation therapy. The need for a temporary or permanent marker will be discussed with the patient before the simulation.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced form of external radiation treatment that allows precise targeting of tumor cells. The CT simulator localization scan or other three-dimensional images provide the radiation oncologist with an understanding of the shape and location of the tumor. With 3D planning, the radiation oncologist specifies the dose from various beams and sums up those doses to calculate the dose to tumor and normal tissue (forward planning). With IMRT, the radiation oncologist specifies the dose desired to give the tumor and the doses acceptable to the normal tissues (as low as possible). Then the computer system provides millions of alternative beam positions and the varying intensities of each beam, comparing one plan to the next until the best plan is identified. This is called inverse planning. Since each beam is broken up into many sub-beams of varying intensity the process is called intensity-modulated radiation.

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) combines three-dimensional images, such as CT scans, with the precise technology of either 3-D or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to pinpoint and treat cancerous tumors. The images allow the cancer specialists to precisely localize the tumor each time radiation therapy is administered. This improves both accuracy of delivery and safety by reducing radiation exposure to other areas of the body including nearby tissue and organs. IGRT is used to treat tumors in areas of the body that are prone to movement, such as the lungs, liver, and prostate gland, as well as tumors located close to critical organs and tissues.

Cone Beam CT is typically used to map the tumor in the oral cavity, or to check for dental decay or periodontal disease that must be addressed before the start of radiation treatment. The machine produces a cone-shaped x-ray beam that is rotated around the head to produce three-dimensional images of the patient’s teeth, bones, nerve pathways, and soft tissues. A cone beam CT is not the same as a conventional CT, but the images produced are very similar.

SpaceOAR® Hydrogel is used to protect the rectum from radiation exposure during prostate cancer treatment. It is a temporary, injectable gel that is placed between the prostate and rectum, acting as a spacer. It pushes the rectum away from the prostate, out of the area where radiation will be administered. SpaceOAR Hydrogel is injected as a liquid and solidifies into a soft, gel-like synthetic material that expands and creates the necessary space of about ½ to 1 cm. It is absorbed over three months and the prostate moves back to its original position.