Radiation Therapy

No matter what type of cancer you have, your care plan may include radiation therapy. And no matter what kind of radiation treatment you need, you’ll find it right here at Cape Fear Valley Health.

What is Radiation Therapy?

Radiation therapy uses radiation — such as X-rays, gamma rays, and electron beams — to destroy cancer cells. It treats different types of cancer in many parts of the body.

There are three main ways our radiation oncologists provide radiation therapy:

From outside your body: External beam radiation therapy comes from a machine that targets radiation directly at your cancer.
From inside your body: With this technique, also known as brachytherapy, we place one or more small devices inside your body. The implants deliver radiation directly to your tumor.
With medicine: We inject radioactive drugs that target your tumor. This approach is known as systemic radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy can be used on its own or in combination with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery.

Leading Local Radiation Therapy Experts

When you receive radiation at Cape Fear Valley Health, you get safe, state-of-the-art treatment — right in your own community.

You’ll work closely with one of our experienced radiation oncologists (doctors who specialize in radiation treatments for cancer). They’ll help decide what type of radiation therapy you’ll need — and how long your treatment will be. They’ll also monitor you along the way, making sure your treatments are working.

Our Approach to Radiation Therapy

At Cape Fear Valley Health, our radiation oncologists are skilled at determining which treatment will work best for your cancer type.

They’ll base their decision on a combination of factors. For example, they’ll consider the size and location of your tumor, and which organs are nearby.

But they’ll also weigh personal factors, too. These include your ability to tolerate certain side effects, and how often you’ll need to come in for treatment.

Types of Radiation Therapy We Offer

At Cape Fear Valley Health, we offer the full range of radiation therapy options:

Types of External Beam Radiation

When we deliver radiation from outside your body, we use a sophisticated machine called a linear accelerator (LINAC). Our team uses LINACs that can provide many different types of radiation therapy:

Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) combines radiation and imaging, such as CBCT (Cone beam CT) and KV imaging. This lets your provider see your tumor during your treatment sessions. We often use IGRT for tumors prone to movement (such as when you breathe).
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivers several beams of radiation at one time. These beams are shaped to your tumor, reducing radiation damage to nearby tissue. We usually use IMRT to treat tumors next to critical organs like your heart.
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treats cancer in the brain. It sends multiple, high doses of radiation directly to your tumor — which may reduce the total number of treatments you need.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) uses the same technology as SRS, but it treats tumors outside of the brain. It also destroys cancer cells with higher doses of radiation, resulting in fewer treatments.

Systemic Radiation Therapy

With systemic radiation therapy, you take a special drug containing radioactive material. The drug travels through your body until it reaches — and then attaches to — your tumor.

We use this therapy for specific types of cancer such as prostate cancer.

Benefits of Radiation Therapy

Whether used alone or with other cancer treatments, radiation therapy offers several benefits. It can:

Kill small tumors that haven’t had time to grow or spread
Shrink a tumor before your surgeon removes it
Destroy any cancer cells that may linger after chemotherapy or surgery

At Cape Fear Valley Health, we also offer radiation therapy to improve quality of life if you have incurable cancer. This is known as palliative radiation. For example, we can use radiation therapy to shrink tumors that are causing you pain or shortness of breath.

What to Expect With Radiation Therapy

When you have radiation therapy at Cape Fear Valley Health, you’ll feel well-cared for and well-informed. We’ll make sure you understand what to expect before, during and after your radiation treatments.

Radiation Treatment Planning

Before you begin your treatments, you’ll have at least one planning session (also known as a radiation simulation). This visit helps your care team figure out the safest and most comfortable way to deliver your radiation. It also helps you understand what to expect in your upcoming visits.

Treatment planning is different for everyone, based on the type of radiation therapy you’re having. But it often involves:

Taking pictures of your tumor, so we can confirm where to target (or place) the radiation.
Deciding whether you should lie on your back, side or stomach during your treatments.
Deciding whether you’ll need an “immobilizer.” This is a moldable device that holds your head or body in the same position each time you have treatment.
Making temporary or permanent ink marks on your skin if you’re having external beam radiation. These tiny marks are about the size of a freckle. They help us make sure your radiation is aimed at the same location each and every time.