Radiation Therapy

Palmetto Health provides the most advanced radiation therapies for patients through a partnership with South Carolina Oncology Associates.

RADIATION THERAPY is the treatment of disease using penetrating beams of high energy waves or streams of particles called radiation. The purpose of radiation therapy is to destroy or damage cancer cells. Other names for radiation therapy include radiotherapy, x-ray therapy or irradiation.

Radiation therapy injures or destroys cells in the area being treated by damaging their genetic material, making it impossible for these cells to continue to grow and divide. Although radiation damages both cancer cells and normal cells, most normal cells can recover from the effects of radiation to function properly. The goal of radiation therapy is to damage as many cancer cells as possible, while limiting harm to nearby healthy tissue.

In some cases, radiation treatment results in the complete destruction of an entire tumor. In other cases, the aim is to shrink a tumor and relieve symptoms. About half of all cancer patients receive some type of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or surgery.

There are different types of radiation and different ways to deliver the radiation. Some types of radiation can be very finely controlled to treat only a small area without damaging nearby tissues and organs. Other types of radiation are better for treating larger areas. The two most common forms of radiation therapy are external radiation and internal radiation therapy.

• External Beam Radiation Therapy is the most frequently used form of radiation therapy. External beam radiation delivers radiation from a machine outside the body. Most people receive external radiation therapy over several weeks during outpatient visits to a hospital or treatment center.
• Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is another form of external beam radiation therapy. This radiation therapy uses a special computer to shape and intensify the radiation beam to match the tumor and delivers the beam from different directions. IMRT is an outpatient treatment given daily over several weeks.
• Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) is a form of external beam radiation therapy that is guided by CT scans to target the tumor. Since tumors can move, both during a treatment session and from one session to another, the exact location is verified daily. IGRT is an outpatient treatment given daily over several weeks.
• High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation where the radioactive source is in place only for a few minutes and then removed. This may be repeated several times over a few days to weeks. Brachytherapy is used for breast, gynecological and pulmonary cancers. Usually given outpatient, treatment takes only a few hours using a high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy machine.
• Seed Implants are a form of internal radiation using permanent seed implants to kill cancer cells. This procedure is particularly useful in early-stage prostate cancer. Many small radioactive seeds are permanently implanted in the prostate, allowing the delivery of radiation over a few weeks to months as they slowly stop giving off radiation.
• Gamma Knife is known as stereotactic radiosurgery. This procedure is not surgery but rather a very precise form of external radiation therapy that delivers a large radiation dose to a small area. High concentrations of precisely directed radiation beams destroy tumor cells and treat other brain disorders while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. Gamma Knife is usually a one day outpatient treatment.  

Additional Information - The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has a comprehensive radiation therapy website and is the source of most of the educational information above. The NCI is a trusted and respected resource for oncology professionals and patients alike. If you need pre-printed educational materials, please contact the Palmetto Health Cancer Centers education staff at (803) 434-3460.