CyberKnife Revolutionary cancer treatment
	External radiation treatments Treatments for many kinds of tumors
	Prostate seed therapy Radioactive seed implantation for treatment of prostate cancer
	Brachytherapy Used for cancer of the cervix, uterus, vagina, lung, esophagus and bile duct
	Gamma Knife Used for treatment of brain lesions
	IORT Interoperative radiation therapy to help preserve extremity function
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External beam radiation treatments

St. Luke's Regional Cancer Center has three linear accelerators which allow radiation oncologists to chose the most optimal type of radiation for each patient.

CT Simulation or Visual Simulation | Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

3D Conformal Treatment Planning

Three dimensional treatment planning allows the radiation oncologist to avoid critical structures from receiving radiation, while delivering a high dose of radiation to the cancerous cells. The use of 3D planning is beneficial for all types of cancer treated with external beam radiation.

CT Simulation or Visual Simulation

The radiation oncologist utilizes CT imaging in the localization of the treatment site. These detailed images of cross-sectional anatomy are used to determine a specialized treatment plan unique to each patient.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) allows physicians to increase the dose of radiation to certain tumors, while sparing critical parts of the body that do not need treatment. IMRT helps decrease side effects by limiting the dose to the normal surrounding tissue. At present, IMRT has been shown effective in the treatment of some head and neck cancers, prostate cancer and brain tumors.

After defining the critical target volume and the normal tissues at risk from radiation related effects, the Radiation Oncologist specifies the dose to all tissues in the area.

The optimal radiation dose distribution is then calculated by a computer-based treatment planning process. This process precisely conforms the dose distribution to the tumor shape and size while limiting the dose to the critical normal tissues near the tumor. The computer calculates the best arrangement of radiation intensities, as opposed to the conventional practice of utilizing uniform radiation intensity throughout the tumor area. This allows the Radiation Oncologist to deliver radiation that conforms to the tumor shape with an extremely high degree of accuracy.

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