Centra, Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center

Radiation Oncology

The goal of radiation oncology is to reduce or eliminate the viability of a tumor while allowing the surrounding normal structures to maintain function. This is a delicate balance where we capitalize on the normal structure's ability to repair or resist damage, while the abnormal process does not have the same level of refinement in its support structure. Because the path to a cancerous process generally involves penetration into the body, treatment beams are directed from several directions which converge at the tumor.

The Radiation Oncology department has embarked on a quantum leap in the process of treatment. While the radiation treatment of cancer patients continues to be high energy x-ray photons and electrons, the control of the treatment process and verification are now controlled digitally. This integration has allowed for more complex treatment plans that benefit our patients. All of this integration greatly increases the complexity of treatment ,which necessitates an increase in the already rigorous and comprehensive quality assurance program that is required for our current 3D conformal therapy.

Digital imaging technologies are being added to better characterize the tumor location and movement during the course of treatment. For the first time, we will be able to monitor the lesion during the actual treatment, rather than before or after. Additional hardware is being added to shape the spatial location of the beam and modulate its intensity across the treatment region. This, along with improved precision in the treatment planning algorithms, allows us to better conform to the target and spare other structures.