Radiation Oncology
Reid Cancer Center offers radiation oncology with personalized treatment plans, advanced technology, and a compassionate, multidisciplinary team approach.
What is radiation oncology?
Radiation therapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses controlled doses of high-energy radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. About 50% of people with cancer receive radiation therapy. It’s often used alongside other treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery.
Radiation oncology at Reid
The radiation oncology team at Reid Cancer Center uses leading-edge technology to provide targeted cancer treatment to people in East Central Indiana and West Central Ohio. Our radiation oncologists, physicists, and dosimetrists create personalized radiation therapy treatments for every person. Reid Cancer Center provides comprehensive radiation oncology services in a leading edge facility.
Your radiation oncology team
Knowing what to expect during radiation therapy is an important first step. Your radiation therapy team includes providers dedicated to offering comprehensive care throughout your treatment journey.
- Dosimetrists: These specialists work with radiation oncologists to measure proper radiation doses and monitor the medical equipment used to administer radiation therapy.
- Physicists: Physicists work with dosimetrists to ensure you receive the correct level of radiation.
- Radiation oncologists: These physicians are specially trained to provide radiation therapy.
- Radiation therapist: Together with the radiation oncologist, the radiation therapist administers radiation treatments and makes sure patients are correctly positioned for each external radiation session.
- Cancer navigators: These cancer experts are available to answer questions, help make appointments, and provide access to community cancer resources.
Radiation oncology treatment options
Radiation therapy can be delivered externally or internally.
- External beam radiation therapy: This form uses a machine called a linear accelerator to direct X-rays or gamma rays from outside the body to your cancer’s location. Reid uses many advanced technologies to deliver external radiation when treating many forms of cancer.
- Internal radiation: This form involves implanting a radioactive source near the site of a tumor. Brachytherapy, one form of internal radiation, uses radioactive seeds placed temporarily inside the body and can help people with breast, uterine, and cervical cancers.
- Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI): We offer APBI to people with early-stage breast cancer and those who have had surgery to remove a breast tumor. The treatment involves aiming radiation within 1 to 2 centimeters of a tumor to reduce damage to healthy tissue. In addition, women can receive APBI in five days rather than over the course of several weeks, making care more convenient.
When you might need radiation therapy
Radiation therapy might be the only treatment you need, but there are other times when your oncologist recommends radiation therapy along with other treatments.
For example, radiation therapy can:
- Boost chemotherapy’s effectiveness
- Prevent cancer from spreading (metastasizing)
- Shrink a tumor before surgery (called neoadjuvant therapy)
- Target lingering cancer cells after surgery (called adjuvant therapy)
Side effects of radiation therapy
Radiation therapy treats a specific area, so side effects can vary based on where treatment is delivered. Fatigue, hair loss, and skin problems are common across many cancer sites.
Radiation therapy can also lead to slow-healing or nonhealing wounds. The Wound Healing Center at Reid Health offers comprehensive treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which delivers 100% oxygen to wounds to speed healing. Not everyone who has radiation treatments will need specialized wound care services, but if you do, you can benefit from our advanced technology and treatment methods.
Cancer care designed for you
The oncology team at Reid Cancer Center understands how overwhelming a cancer diagnosis can be for you and your family. Our multidisciplinary providers use advanced technology to tailor radiation therapy to your unique needs.
Take the next step in your care
Nationally recognised breast care
Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®)
National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
NAPBC Certification recognizes breast centers that meet national standards for high-quality, comprehensive breast care.
