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Radiation Oncology

Adventist Cancer Network

Adventist Cancer Network is a state of the art cancer treatment program with convenient locations at Hinsdale Hospital and La Grange Memorial Hospital. We give you access to top-of-the-line technologies and research programs without having to travel to a university, as the Radiation Oncologists are staff physicians at the University of Chicago. Patients benefit from the collective experience that the University of Chicago cancer specialists have developed over the years in the diagnosis and treatment of thousands of cancer patients. Our highly trained staff of oncology nurses, certified medical dosimetrists, certified radiation therapists and board certified medical physicists always put your needs and comfort first.

Radiation oncology, also called radiation therapy, is a form of cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to destroy cancer cells. Like surgery, radiation oncology is a local treatment used to fight cancer at specific sites in the body. Radiation treatment is also used as a combination therapy in organ preserving surgery (such as lumpectomies), with promising results. In fact, more than half of all cancer patients undergo some form of radiation treatment during the course of their disease.

Adventist Cancer Network’s Radiation Oncology program has many advanced technologies to aid in diagnosis and treatment, some of which are highlighted below.

Prostate Ultrasound

Working with Varian’s SonArray, the prostate ultrasound is a new technology featured at the Adventist Cancer Network. To give you the best treatment for prostate cancer, the SonArray allows the therapist to give the radiation at the exact location of the tumor for each treatment. After placing the patient on the table, external lasers are first used to position the patient so that the treatment is received by the tumor. However, since lasers are external, they are not able to pinpoint the exact location of the prostate. The ultrasound allows the therapist to look internally for the precise location of the tumor. Doing this confirms that a strong dose of radiation is delivered to the tumor and healthy tissue is spared.

IMRT

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is a treatment in which the strength of the radiation can vary during treatment to spare normal tissue around the tumor. To properly target the tumor, a three-dimensional plan is made. This plan is not a uniform shape as in traditional radiation therapy, but instead is the size and shape of the tumor. Using the plan, the radiation is given in high doses to the tumor and only in minimal doses to the healthy tissue surrounding it. Ultimately, IMRT leads to less damage to healthy tissue, precise targeting and treatment of the tumor, and a better quality of life for the patient.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

This procedure is used to give a high dose of radiation to a brain lesion. It is a non-invasive alternative to brain surgery. Stereotactic Radiosurgery uses a helmet that steadies your head and helps the radiation oncologist find the exact treatment area. This ensures that the lesion receives the most radiation and the healthy tissue is spared. The helmet is put on by a neurosurgeon and will be used throughout the CT scan, the MRI (if needed) and the radiation treatment. Patients won’t feel anything from the radiation treatment, but may feel some discomfort from the helmet. The treatment takes up to 60 minutes and the helmet is removed immediately afterwards. Because stereotactic radiosurgery uses no incisions, recovery is much easier for the patient. In fact, many people return to normal activities the next day. Results show that lesions shrink over time and in some cases, completely disappear. For more information on Stereotactic Radiosurgery, click here

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a procedure in which radiation is given internally rather than externally like IMRT or stereotactic radiosurgery. It is most often used for prostate cancer, but also can be used for treatment of the head, neck, breasts, uterus, thyroid, ovary and cervix. With brachytherapy, a small container of radioactive substance is implanted inside the body. The implants are placed either next to or inside the tumor and may be permanent or temporary. Though these implants consist of radioactive substances, you will not be radioactive if you have brachytherapy. Permanent implants will become inactive once the radiation is gone, will cause no harm, and do not need to be removed. Brachytherapy is beneficial because it administers a higher dose of radiation to a smaller area in a shorter period of time than does external radiation therapy.