Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncologists at the Enloe Regional Cancer Center are specially trained to diagnose, treat and manage common cancers as well as unusual and rare tumor types. Radiation oncologists administer treatments with close collaboration of the nurses and physicists at the Radiation Oncology Center, located within the Enloe Regional Cancer Center.

treatments and technologies include:

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). Our linear accelerators offer this precise treatment to target and destroy cancerous tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
High-dose radiation therapy (HDR). This therapy uses implanted catheters to localize specific regions of the body, reducing does of radiation to the surrounding tissue. HDR can be used for interstitial and intracavitary brachytherapy, which primarily treats gynecological cancers, but it can also be applied to other cancers.
Accelerated partial breast irradiation. For a select group of breast cancer patients, this treatment may be an option. If appropriate, this shortens the course of therapy from six weeks to less than a week.

Prostate cancer treatments. A multitude of options are available to our prostate cancer patients. These include IMRT and high-dose brachytherapy.

COMING SOON

Recent advances in radiation equipment have allowed for the integration of CT scanners into the radiation treatment machine, pinpointing delivery of radiation therapy. This newly acquired equipment will permit precise localization of tumors with sub-millimeter accuracy, allowing the radiation oncologist to deliver extremely high doses of radiation to the tumor while protecting normal tissue. This therapy, called Stereotactic Radiosurgery, has been shown to be quicker –one to four treatments instead of 60 – and, in certain tumors, more effective than conventional radiation. This equipment will be operational in 2012.