Radiation Oncology Services

Offering state-of-the-art treatments

Radiation oncology, which has proven to be one of the most successful treatment methods available in the fight against cancer, is optimized at Cape Cod Healthcare through recent advancements in medical technology. Radiation oncology services are available at the Davenport Mugar Cancer Center at Cape Cod Hospital and the Clark Cancer Center at Falmouth Hospital. Our department is accredited by the American College of Radiology.

The goals of radiation oncology are to destroy tumors,
relieve disease symptoms, prolong survival and improve quality of life. Radiation treatments available at Cape Cod Healthcare include:

• External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)
  Radiation therapy delivered by a Linear Accelerator outside the patient’s body. A Linear Accelerator generates powerful X-rays to kill cancer cells. EBRT is designed to destroy tumors while minimizing injury to surrounding healthy tissues.

EBRT performed at Cape Cod Healthcare includes:

• Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) – an advanced technology that allows radiation to be delivered directly to tumors with remarkable precision through the use of real-time imaging.
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery – a special system to precisely deliver a large radiation dose to a tumor in a single session. This non-invasive procedure destroys the target without surgery or harming nearby healthy tissue. It is commonly used to treat cancer that has spread to a patient’s brain.
• Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) – The use of IMRT allows critical areas surrounding the tumor to receive a minimal amount of radiation. IMRT involves treating tumors from multiple directions to deliver higher radiation doses to the tumor while minimizing side effects and damage to healthy tissue around it.
• Prostate Seed Implants: Brachytherapy – In an outpatient procedure, radioactive seeds are inserted into the prostate. This allows for radiation therapy to deliver a higher dose to the tumor while sparing healthy cells. The radiation dissipates over 6 to 12 months.
• High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR) – HDR is used for indicated early stage breast cancer patients. The surgeon places the applicator and the treatments are supervised by a Radiation Oncologist. HDR reduces the number of treatments from 30 down to 10. It is also used to treat gynecological cancers