Cancers We Treat

Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and invade other tissues. Cancer can start almost anywhere in the human body.

Normally, human cells grow and multiply to form new cells as the body needs them. When cells grow old or get damaged, they die and new cells take their place. But sometimes there’s an error in this process that allows abnormal or damaged cells to grow and multiply when they shouldn’t. The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:

Through tissue: Cancer cells invade the surrounding normal tissue.
Through the lymph system: Cancer invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body.
Through the blood: Cancer invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different known types of cancer. Most cancers are named for the organ or type of cell in which they start. For example, cancer that begins in the colon is called colon cancer; cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma.

Common cancers we treat

PROSTATE CANCER

Radiation is often the treatment of choice for prostate cancer. It is used as the first line treatment for cancer that is low-grade and still confined to the prostate. It’s used as part of the first treatment for cancers that have grown outside the prostate gland and into nearby tissues. It is also used in cases of recurrent prostate cancer, and to help prevent or relieve symptoms in advanced cases. We offer intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for recurrence in selected patients, and radiopharmaceutical treatments including radium 223 and Pluvicto (lutetium 177).

Learn more about prostate cancer

BREAST CANCER

Some people with breast cancer will need radiation in addition to other treatments. Radiation therapy can be used after breast-conserving surgery to help lower the chance the cancer will come back in the same breast or nearby lymph nodes. It can also be used after a mastectomy, especially if the cancer was larger than about 2 inches, if cancer is found in many lymph nodes, or if certain surgical margins have cancer cells. It is also used when breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the bones, spinal cord, or brain.

Learn more about breast cancer

LUNG CANCER

In select cases, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer can provide great benefits to patients with both small cell and non-small cell tumors that have not spread throughout the lung. It’s also useful when lung cancers have metastasized (spread) to other areas of the body like the chest cavity, brain, or other organs. It is used in non-small cell lung cancer before surgery to shrink the tumor, if the patient isn’t healthy enough for surgery, if the tumor has spread too far to be treated with surgery, and after surgery to kill any tumor cells that might still be in the body. For patients with small cell lung cancer, it’s used to treat the tumor and lymph nodes in the chest, for people who can’t tolerate chemoradiation, or it may be given prophylactically (as prevention) to help minimize the risk of the cancer spreading to the brain.

Learn more about lung cancer

BLADDER CANCER

According to the American Cancer Society, radiation therapy for bladder cancer is used after surgery that does not remove the whole bladder (such as TURBT). It’s also used as the main treatment for people with early-stage cancers who can’t have surgery or chemotherapy to try to avoid cystectomy (surgery to remove the bladder), as part of treatment for advanced bladder cancer, and to help prevent or treat symptoms caused by advanced bladder cancer.

Learn more about bladder cancer

HEAD AND NECK CANCERS

Cancer can affect a lot of areas of the head and neck including the nose, mouth, tongue, salivary glands, throat, and larynx (voice box). It’s critical that these patients use a radiation oncology provider who is experienced in head and neck cancer medical procedures. Radiation is used in several ways to treat head and neck cancers. First, it may be used alone, for small cancers or people who can’t have surgery. It can be used before or after surgery, along with chemotherapy (chemoradiation), to kill any remaining cancer cells or shrink the size of large tumors, as well as for treating recurrences and ease symptoms.

Learn more about head and neck cancers

SKIN CANCER

There are several types of skin cancer, the most common of which are basal and squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Radiation treatment for skin cancer can be used after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells, to treat recurring or metastasized melanoma, or to provide palliative care. In the treatment of skin cancers, radiation can be combined with other treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery.

Learn more about skin cancer

OTHER CANCERS

Other types of cancer we treat include:

Brain Cancer
Mesothelioma
Cervical Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
Colon & Rectal Cancers
Pancreatic Cancer
Endometrial Cancer
Gynecologic Cancers
Sarcoma
Hypopharyngeal Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Laryngeal Cancer
Thyroid Cancer
Liver Cancer

We also provide palliative care treatment for relief of pain or other symptoms related to cancer. And we offer radiation therapy for some benign diseases as well: in selected patients for Dupuytren disease of the hands, Ledderhose disease of the feet, keloid scars, and heterotopic ossification of bone.

Schedule Your Appointment Today

If you are referred for radiation therapy during your cancer care, you get to choose where to receive treatment. We are here to support and encourage you—call us today to schedule your first appointment with one of our radiation oncologists at the cancer center nearest to you.

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