In simple terms, radiation therapy kills tumor cells with radiation. But the field of radiology is a complex science and today radiologists can delivery radiation in a multitude of ways with advantages and disadvantages for patients with different kinds of cancers.
Stanford Expertise
The Stanford Department of Radiation Oncology provides international leadership in caring for patients with cancer. The department fulfills this mission through its three divisions: Radiation Therapy, Radiation Biology, and Radiation Physics.
The department is noted for its strong research programs in cancer/radiation biology, medical/radiation physics, and clinical research.
Because these Cancer Center doctors are at the forefront of developing the newest methods for radiation and teaching them to other physicians, patients have access to some of the most advanced radiology treatment in the world:
- Stereotactic radiotherapy combines computerized imaging with radiation therapy to precisely deliver radiation in the three-dimensionally pattern of a tumor. This method reduces the radiation received by healthy tissues, and can sometimes allow doctors to deliver radiation to body regions that would have been difficult or impossible to treat in the past.
- Low-dose rate brachytherapy is a procedure where doctors permanently place a radiation source inside your body near the tumor.
- High-dose rate brachytherapy is a procedure where doctors place a very high-energy radiation source inside your body near the tumor for a brief period of time. As compared to low-dose rate brachytherapy, HDR brachytherapy is typically more convenient and exposes healthy tissues to lower levels of radiation.
- Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the latest advance in 3-D radiation/imaging technology, and combines tumor imaging with special linear accelerators to deliver radiation in a three-dimensional patterns that corresponds to the exact tumor location. IMRT reduces the dose of radiation received by healthy tissue, and can allow doctors to deliver radiation to difficult-to-reach areas.
- 3-D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) is computer-guided method for delivering high-dose radiation with fewer side effects.
- Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) makes treatment more convenient.
- Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) uses antibodies to medically deliver radiation to tumor sites.
In addition, the radiology department also delivers:
- World-class diagnostic procedures
- Total skin electron therapy
- Total body irradiation (TBI) with peripheral stem cell or bone marrow reconstitution
- Total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) for immunosuppression
- Specialized pediatric radiotherapy services
What to Expect
Before your radiation treatment begins, you will have a preliminary appointment that allows your physicians to prescribe the proper dosage and delivery of radiation for you.
Once this "set-up" is complete and special blocks have been made to shield your healthy organs from the radiation, treatment can be scheduled.