Radiation Oncology

If our cancer team has recommended radiation therapy as part of your cancer treatment, you can be assured that our entire staff will make you as comfortable as possible throughout your treatment. Everyone on our staff strives to treat you as they would their own family members. You are at the center of all we do, and we’re committed to delivering the highest possible care to you in your own community.

Our six board-certified radiation oncologists have more than 80 years of experience in treating cancer with multiple types of radiation therapy. In addition, our radiation specialists are involved in clinical research trials that may give you added options for care. They work closely with you, our medical oncologists and surgeons to create the best possible treatment plan for your cancer.

Why Radiation Therapy at Gibbs Cancer Center?

As a comprehensive center, we offer a full range of radiation therapy options and are equipped to tackle the most complex cases. Our therapies vary from conventional external beam radiation, which can treat a larger area, to sophisticated tools like the CyberKnife®, which delivers high-dose radiation with incredible precision from hundreds of angles. In every case, we follow the strictest national guidelines to achieve the safest and best result for you.

Radiation therapy alters the DNA in cancer cells so they cannot reproduce successfully. As our radiation oncology team delivers radiation beams to cancerous tumors with greater precision than ever, they also work to minimize damage to healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor.

Sophisticated 3D imaging equipment aids our doctors and technicians in locating and defining the exact size and shape of your tumor to deliver the radiation with the utmost accuracy.

Generally, radiation therapy is given to shrink the size of cancer before surgery, to treat a tumor directly during surgery or to kill remaining cancer cells following surgery. Areas commonly treated with radiation therapy include the brain, breast, chest, head, neck, pelvis, rectum and abdomen.

For prostate and some gynecologic cancers, our radiation oncologists are also skilled at delivering radiation with brachytherapy, a procedure in which radioactive “seeds” are implanted at the site of the tumor.