Radiation Therapy for Cancer | ACTC Florida

What is Radiation Oncology?

Radiation oncology uses high-energy X-rays or other particles to slow or stop cancer cell growth by damaging their DNA. It may be the primary treatment for your cancer or combined with surgery or chemotherapy.

Your treatment plan includes scheduled sessions designed to safely deliver radiation. This enables radiation to effectively target cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues.

Radiation therapy is often used in these scenarios:

• Primary treatment: Main therapy for many cancers.
• Before surgery (neoadjuvant): Shrinks tumors for easier removal
• After other treatments (adjuvant): Targets remaining cancer cells after surgery or chemotherapy.
• Symptom relief (palliative): Reduces cancer-related pain or discomfort.

Who Provides Your Care?

Radiation oncologists are doctors who specialize in radiation therapy. They lead a dedicated team to plan and manage your care, ensuring that treatments are delivered accurately and safely.

Types of Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is mainly delivered in two ways: external beam therapy from a machine outside the body, and internal radiation (brachytherapy), where a radioactive source is placed inside the body.

Your treatment choice depends on your specific cancer type and location.

External Beam Therapy

External beam therapy uses a machine to aim radiation precisely at your tumor from outside your body. Several different approaches ensure the radiation matches your needs and protects surrounding tissue.

• Three-dimensional conformal therapy (3D CRT): 3D CRT uses detailed CT or MRI scans to shape radiation beams exactly to your tumor, sparing nearby healthy tissue.
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): This adjusts the intensity of radiation beams using advanced software, delivering a higher dose to cancer cells while sparing surrounding tissues.
• Proton beam therapy: Proton therapy delivers radiation with protons that deposit their energy directly at the tumor and stop, significantly reducing radiation exposure to healthy tissues beyond the target.
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT): IGRT uses frequent imaging, such as CT or MRI scans, to adjust your treatment precisely, especially near vital organs such as the heart, lungs, or kidneys.
• Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRS and SBRT): Stereotactic radiation is a highly precise treatment delivering high doses to small tumors in fewer sessions, often in the brain, lungs, or liver.
• Respiratory gating: For tumors that move during breathing (in the lungs, chest, or abdomen), it synchronizes radiation delivery with the respiratory cycle, improving accuracy.
• Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT): VMAT delivers radiation efficiently while the machine rotates smoothly around your body, shortening treatment time.
• Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH): DIBH involves holding your breath briefly during radiation, minimizing movement and reducing radiation exposure to nearby organs like your heart.

Internal Radiation (Brachytherapy)

Internal radiation therapy, also called brachytherapy, places radioactive material directly into or near your tumor.

Implants such as small seeds, ribbons, capsules, balloons, or tubes deliver radiation precisely where needed. Depending on the treatment plan, these implants may be temporary or permanent.