Advanced Radiation Therapy Techniques

Adaptive radiation treatment through NEW Ethos™ Therapy

By most clinical standards, the process of preparing treatment plans for patients who need radiation therapy can take several days. Precise calculations for tumor targeting and organ sparing are completed prior to the start of treatment. If there are changes to a patient’s anatomy during the course of treatment, a significant delay may occur. With Ethos™ Therapy, artificial intelligence and machine learning can create and adapt plans for physicians’ review within minutes – all while the patient remains on the treatment couch. The goal of adaptive therapy is to better target the tumor, reduce the exposure of radiation to healthy tissue and potentially improve overall outcomes. 

Deliver treatment directly to tumor with brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a type of precise cancer treatment used to deliver high doses of radiation within or next to the cancer. At Goshen Center for Cancer Care, we have a wide variety of tools and advanced techniques to provide this treatment. We use detailed computer mapping to position and ensure radiation applicators are located in the most effective areas to target the cancer. Each treatment takes about 15 minutes. Often only one session is needed, but sometimes it takes five or 10 treatments.

Precise radiation delivered in appropriate intensity using image-guided therapy

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a state-of-the-art form of treatment that allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered while causing less injury to the surrounding parts of the body. This helps us cure a higher percentage of patients. We use advanced computer techniques and sophisticated treatment machines to deliver IMRT. Usually special low-dose CT imaging is performed immediately prior to each treatment to make sure the cancer is being accurately targeted. This is called image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). 
These advanced treatment techniques also allow us to safely give a second course of radiation should cancer reoccur in the same spot. This gives many people another chance of being cured.

Stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body therapy can reduce number of treatments

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-surgical radiation therapy that delivers high doses of radiation with very high precision in a single treatment to a tumor in the brain. Certain tumors in the lungs, liver or near the spine need up to five very precise treatments, with each treatment usually taking about half an hour. When the treatment is given outside the brain, it is usually called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) or stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR). This non-invasive practice helps spare the normal tissue surrounding the tumor from radiation exposure. Cure rates are often higher than conventional treatment with fewer side effects.

Single-dose radiation treatment for breast cancer

Early stage breast cancer patients may be able to receive a single-dose of radiation in the operating room immediately following surgical resection of the tumor.
Intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT) is a precise, targeted radiation treatment that has been shown to be as effective as conventional, external radiation therapy and preserves normal tissue.

These advanced treatments may be able to help you or a loved one

Specialists at Goshen Center for Cancer Care may recommend radiation therapy alone or in combination with other treatments as an effective way to shrink tumors. Find out more about how we treat cancer. Call (888) 492-HOPE to talk with our oncology information specialists.