Radiation Therapy

The radiation therapy offered at St. Agnes features ACR-accredited, nationally recognized radiation oncologists and some of the most progressive treatment options available in the country.

Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, x-ray therapy or irradiation, is one of the most common treatments for cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, more than half of people with cancer receive some form of radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy may be used before, during or after surgery, in combination with chemotherapy or another cancer treatment, or on its own. It can shrink tumors to make other treatments more effective, destroy cancer cells left behind after other treatments or help relieve symptoms such as pain or pressure.

St. Agnes radiation oncologists have access to the latest technology that, for various types of cancer, assures that the maximum and safest radiation dose is precisely directed to the tumor, sparing healthy tissue. Our radiation therapy treatment options include:

TomoTherapy

TomoTherapy is the most advanced radiation treatment available. It allows doctors to pinpoint cancer with unprecedented clarity and treat it more effectively, with minimal damage to healthy tissue.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)

Stereotactic Radiosurgery is a technique for treatment of well defined lesions with a high dose of ionizing radiation. This one-time outpatient treatment is often an excellent alternative to complex surgical procedures requiring lengthy hospitalization.

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy, or interstitial irradiation, treats cancers of the breast, cervix, lung, prostate, rectum, tongue and uterus, among other sites.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy treats prostate, head and neck, breast, thyroid and lung cancers, as well as gynecologic, liver and brain tumors and lymphomas and sarcomas.

MammoSite Radiation Therapy System

MammoSite Radiation Therapy System is a less-invasive, highly effective method of delivering breast brachytherapy after lumpectomy, using partial breast irradiation through a balloon catheter. The course of treatment is usually only five days.

Prostate Seed Implantation

St. Agnes Physicians perform permanent radioactive seed implants directly into the prostate gland under ultrasound guidance while the patient is under general anesthesia. Intraoperative, real-time 3-D planning is performed.

Much has changed in the treatment of cancer over the past 10 years. New chemotherapy agents are available, and radiation therapy is now being used much more frequently for the treatment of many cancers—especially rectal cancers.