Radiation Therapy Effective for Cancer Treatment

Board-certified radiation oncologists at the  Skagit Regional Health Cancer Care Center offer radiation oncology to target and treat cancer tumors. Our physicians treat patients with a range of advanced radiation oncology therapies. Unlike surgery, radiation therapy is an outpatient procedure that does not involve incisions or anesthetics. No hospital stay is required with radiation therapy for cancer treatment.

Understanding How Radiation Therapy Improves Cancer Outcomes

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to treat cancerous and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. Using highly precise targeting techniques to plan and deliver your individualized treatments, we minimize the dose to normal tissues, decreasing side effects while delivering high doses to the cancer tissue.

Full Range of Radiation Oncology Services

The Skagit Regional Health Cancer Care Center offers a comprehensive range of radiation oncology services, including:

• 3DCRT - Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy: A conformal type of therapy used to treat tumors three-dimensionally, thereby allowing for greater tumor control. Conformal means that the radiation is shaped to match the size and shape of the tumor.
• Conventional Radiation Therapy: The use of standard radiation therapy techniques to treat a variety of tumors throughout the body.
• IGRT - Image-Guided Radiation Therapy: Used in conjunction with most of the treatment options listed here, it allows for accurate positioning by overlying daily radiographic images with those taken at the time of treatment.
• IMRT - Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy: A highly conformal type of therapy accurately shapes the radiation dose to the shape and size of the tumor. The dose is varied across the treatment space, allowing for greater intensity of radiation to the tumor site and sparing of normal tissues that surround the tumor.
• SBRT - Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy: A highly precise method of radiation oncology for treating small lesions in the body over a period of one to five days.
• SRS - Stereotactic Radiosurgery: A highly precise method used to treat lesions in the brain, usually in a single treatment.
• VMAT - Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy: A unique form of radiation oncology treatment which utilizes the concepts of IMRT and arc therapy to produce conformal doses in a shortened daily delivery time.

Radiation Therapy Treats Non-Cancerous Conditions

Radiation therapy at Skagit Regional Health may also be used to treat non-cancerous conditions, including:

• Dupuytren’s disease
• Graves’ disease
• Gynecomastia
• Heterotopic bone formation
• Keloid scarring
• Paragangliomas (glomus tumors)
• Peyronie’s disease
• Plantar fasciitis

For More Information About Radiation Oncology Services

If you have questions about radiation oncology services at the  Skagit Regional Health Cancer Care Center, please contact one of our team members at 360-814-2146.