When radiation is part of your cancer therapy, you may think treatment will interrupt your daily routine for weeks or months. That's not always the case anymore.
Many of today's options for targeted radiation therapy take less time, cause fewer side effects and lead to better outcomes. That gives you the opportunity to heal more quickly and return to your daily life.
Delivering radiation directly into tumors with pinpoint accuracy
Internal radiation therapy, called brachytherapy, delivers a highly concentrated dose of radiotherapy directly into the body at the tumor site. The radiation can travel only a few millimeters, which reduces damage to surrounding normal tissue.
In many cases, a patient needs only one session of brachytherapy. Treatment of breast cancer with brachytherapy usually involves a five-day treatment course. Other treatment plans may call for more sessions, if needed, to control the growth of cancer cells.
Adaptive radiation therapy redefines personalized cancer care
Artificial intelligence (AI) built into Ethos radiation therapy makes a dramatic difference in treatment for patients today. The AI allows the therapy to quickly adapt to the patient’s anatomy and tumor site. Its precision, accuracy and speed mean patients receive targeted radiation tailored to their specific needs each day of treatment. This way, we try to minimize side effects and make radiation more targeted and effective.
Goshen Center for Cancer Care uses the Ethos system to treat patients with tumors in the pelvic area, including prostate, rectal and gynecologic cancers.
Single-dose radiation therapy targets breast cancer
Patients with early stage breast cancer may need only a single dose of radiation, delivered during a lumpectomy. Intra-operative radiation therapy, or IORT, targets radiation directly into the area where the tumor has been removed.
The treatment reduces possible damage to surrounding healthy tissue. It also eliminates the need for multiple sessions of traditional radiation treatment after surgery.
If you are considering conventional radiation therapy to treat cancer, ask for a second opinion from Goshen Center for Cancer Care. You may be a candidate for a shorter course of treatment, with fewer side effects and a faster return to your daily routine. Call (888) 492-HOPE to find out more about how we treat cancer and take care of you.
Dr. Houman Vaghefi is a board certified radiation oncologist at Goshen Center for Cancer Care. He is an advocate for advanced internal and external therapies to deliver targeted radiation for patients with cancer in ways that reduce negative side effects and improve outcomes.