The goal of radiation therapy is to get enough radiation into the body to kill the cancer cells while preventing damage to healthy tissue. This is done by using one of several machines, that have the ability to be aimed precisely at the same target or targets, each and every time treatment is given.

The high energy rays used for radiation therapy can come from a variety of sources.

The Department of Radiation Medicine currently has two Elekta Versa HD linear accelerators, a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator, and a Tomotherapy HD unit used to provide external beam electron and photon radiotherapy.  Image guidance consists of onboard-imagers at all LINACs with both kV-kV, cone beam CT and MVCT capabilities. BrainLab ExacTrac fluoroscopy and optical guidance imaging is utilized as part of a full service image guidance program. We have a Philips Brilliance BigBore CT scanner with respiratory gating capabilities for 4D CT based simulation. We also have available a 4D PET CT scanner within our department that can be utilized for biologic functional treatment planning.  External beam treatment systems consist of Eclipse and BrainLab Iplan systems. These systems are used for CT-based 3D treatment planning, inverse modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT), dynamic conformal arc therapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy, Linac-based radiosurgery, total body irradiation and total skin electron-beam therapy. The department uses high-dose rate (HDR) Iridium-192 for the majority of its brachytherapy needs. Radioactive Iodine-125 seeds and Iridium-192 are ordered for individual cases as needed.  We have an active I-125 eye plaque brachytherapy program for choroidal melanomas with the Casey Eye Institute.  We have an interstitial brachytherapy program which includes therapy for prostate cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and even for lung cancers