High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy is an internal radiation therapy that delivers doses of radiation from implants placed inside or very close to the tumor. It allows for delivery of the maximum dose of radiation to the cancerous tissues with minimal exposure to the healthy surrounding tissues. Brachytherapy is a quick, effective therapy used for partial breast, GYN, lung and prostate malignancies.

Prostate Seed Implantation is a low dose form of brachytherapy in which radioactive seeds are implanted directly into the prostate gland. This treatment allows for the prostate gland to receive a high dose, while limiting that dose to surrounding structures and tissue. This treatment is often combined with external radiation for optimum treatment outcomes and disease control.

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) uses frequent imaging during radiation therapy to provide real-time positioning and targeting of select tumor(s). This added accuracy allows radiation to be delivered to a tumor based on its exact location in the body.

Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation is a form of brachytherapy used to treat breast cancer after a lumpectomy. Because the treatment works from inside the breast, a higher daily dose of radiation can be used for a shorter period of time (five days) and has fewer side effects than other radiation therapies that are done over the course of several weeks. The procedure involves inserting a small balloon inside the lumpectomy cavity; the balloon is attached to a catheter through which the high dose radiation treatment is delivered. Once treatment is completed, the catheter and balloon are removed and the patient can return to normal daily activities.

CT Simulation with 4-D Gating assists the radiation oncologist with planning for the delivery of radiation to tumors that move when the patient breathes. Using an infrared camera connected to a CT scanner, four-dimensional images are generated in a clear video sequence that shows exactly how the tumor moves during the patient’s normal breathing cycle. Clinicians are then able to determine how to deliver the desired radiation dose to the tumor with the most precision and with minimal risk of damaging healthy surrounding tissue.

Total Body Irradiation (TBI) involves irradiation of the entire body and is used primarily to prepare patients who are undergoing stem cell transplantation for hematologic conditions such as leukemia or lymphoma. TBI suppresses the immune system and kills diseased bone marrow cells, which helps reduce the risk of the patient’s body later rejecting transplanted tissue and increases the likelihood of a successful transplant.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) employs the principles of cranial SRS to deliver precise radiation for treatment of malignant or benign small-to-medium size tumors in the body. SBRT is usually prescribed for one to five sessions over the course of one to two weeks and is done on a linear accelerator.