Radiation Therapy at Beaufort Memorial

Radiation therapy may be part of your treatment plan and serves as an effective treatment for breast cancer that works within cancer cells damaging their ability to multiply. Radiation therapy is a painless and non-invasive way to treat breast cancer. During treatment, high-energy X-rays are administered using high-quality, image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) safely and precisely targeting the location of the breast cancer while decreasing risk of exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Side effects are usually minimal, and most patients return to routine activities immediately after each treatment.

Several factors determine candidacy for radiation therapy treatment including the stage of the cancer, the patient’s age and overall health, and potential side effects of treatment. Sometimes a combination of treatments is the best plan for treating breast cancer.

For colorectal cancer, radiation therapy may be used on its own or in combination with surgery—before surgery to shrink tumors or after surgery to kill or control any remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy is a painless and noninvasive treatment option.

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is an effective treatment for colorectal cancer, working within cancer cells to damage their ability to multiply. During treatment, high-quality, image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) X-rays are administered using CT image-guided radiation therapy designed to increase treatment precision, decrease risk to surrounding healthy tissue and reduce treatment time.

Treatments are delivered daily Monday through Friday. Each treatment takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The treatment process is safe and will not burn or hurt you. Side effects are usually minimal, and most patients go about routine activities immediately after each treatment.

Several factors determine candidacy for radiation therapy treatment including the stage of the cancer, the patient’s age and overall health, and potential side effects of treatment. Sometimes a combination of treatments is the best plan for treating colon cancer.

For patients who refuse surgery or have medically inoperable kidney tumors, radiation therapy can be an effective, noninvasive treatment option. Typically, radiation therapy carries less risk of complications than conventional surgery. High-quality, image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is delivered to the tumor to increase treatment precision, decrease risk to surrounding healthy tissue, and reduce treatment time.

In some cases treatment using stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) may be used to deliver high-dose radiation over one to five treatments, which can be particularly effective for treatment of small kidney tumors. The technology has the ability to compensate for some movement, precisely targeting the tumor during the entire procedure and minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. This is particularly important when treating kidney tumors, which can shift during treatment due to regular patient movements such as breathing.

Radiation therapy may be used alone to treat your lung cancer or in combination with other treatments based on the type of cancer (NSCLC or SCLC) and other factors.

High-quality, image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is delivered using CT image-guided radiation therapy designed to increase treatment precision, decrease risk to surrounding healthy tissue, and reduce treatment time.

In some cases treatment using stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) may be used to painlessly deliver precise beams of radiation to tumors and lesions, without requiring incisions, hospitalization, or long recovery time. It can serve as an effective lung cancer treatment and is an especially good option for patients with complex tumors or patients who prefer a non-invasive way to treat their cancer.

Your physician will help you evaluate your best prostate cancer treatment options based on the grade and stage of your cancer, as well as your health and personal preferences. The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) concluded that enough clinical evidence exists to consider External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), a standard definitive treatment option that confers outcomes equivalent to radical prostatectomy for men with localized prostate cancer.

When EBRT is hypofractionated, patients receive larger radiation doses across fewer treatment sessions—typically completing treatment in four to five weeks, compared with eight to nine weeks for conventional radiation. Extremely hypofractionated courses, also known as ultrahypofractionation, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) or stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR), can be completed in as few as five treatments. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an appropriate alternative for select patients with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Radiation therapy is one of the safest ways to treat skin cancer painlessly and noninvasively. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is an effective treatment for skin cancer, working within cancer cells to damage their ability to multiply. During treatment, high-energy X-rays are delivered to the cancer cells with a linear accelerator (LINAC). Treatments are delivered daily Monday through Friday. Each treatment takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The treatment process is safe and will not burn or hurt you. Side effects are usually minimal, and most patients go about routine activities immediately after each treatment.

Several factors determine candidacy for radiation therapy treatment including the stage of the cancer, your age and overall health, and potential side effects of treatment. Sometimes a combination of treatments is the best plan for treating skin cancer.

EBRT delivers radiation to the target site from a machine, called a linear accelerator, or LINAC. The technology system is a powerful accelerator that opens up treatment options for even the most complex cancers, works by choreographing highly sophisticated systems — imaging beam delivery and motion control — allowing your cancer treatment team to see the tumor and apply beams with precision while compensating for your movement. The treatment lasts only a few minutes, while targeting tumors with pinpoint accuracy and minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

Also called brachytherapy, this minor outpatient procedure involves implanting tiny radioactive seeds close to the tumor. These seeds, about the size of a grain of rice, remain in place and give off radiation to the tumor site for weeks or months. When designing your treatment plan, your medical team relies on one or more types of 3D scans of your body. These can include a CT scan, an MRI and/or a PET scan. By looking at these scans and other test results, your radiation oncologist and technicians determine which radiation therapy technique is best suited for your particular case. If internal radiation therapy is recommended as part of your treatment, we can refer you directly to subspecialists — including our partners at MUSC Health in Charleston.