External Radiation

Most patients receiving treatment for cancer will be given the external type of radiation produced by a machine. One such machine, called the linear accelerator (LINAC), produces high-energy rays that are directed at the cancer site. Because of the increased accuracy and power of our technology, our cancer specialists can be more effective at treating the disease while simultaneously reducing side effects of the treatment. Smaller lesions can be treated more easily and effectively. Radiotherapy can also be used to treat more different types of cancer, which means that more patients can be spared the invasive techniques of surgery and/or chemotherapy.

External radiation is an outpatient treatment. Patients are scheduled in the radiation oncology clinic Monday through Friday for a prescribed number of weeks. In general, patients are not treated on weekends and major holidays to allow the normal cells to recover and repair themselves.

The number of treatments the patient receives may vary from a few days up to eight weeks. Your radiation doctor, called a radiation oncologist, determines the number and the length of treatment. The cancer type, the size of the tumor and the purpose of treatment are all taken into consideration by the radiation oncologist when determining the number of treatments. If radiation is given for palliative (or symptom) relief, it may only be given for 1 to 10 treatments. If the goal of radiation is to cure the cancer, then radiation treatments may last as long as eight weeks. Some patients, because of the cancer type, are treated twice a day.

If you have questions about the radiation oncology program at Ellis Fischel , please call (573) 882-8644.