What is a Radiation Oncologist?
A board certified physician who specializes in using radiation to treat cancer. People are referred to a radiation oncologist after a diagnosis of cancer is made, and when treatment with radiation is considered.

What is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation Therapy is the use of high-energy penetrating rays or subatomic particles to destroy cells. There are several types of radiation including x-ray, electron beam, alpha and beta particles, and gamma rays. Today the majority of patients are treated with photons or x-rays generated by linear accelerators.

How does Radiation Work?
Both cancer cells and healthy cells are affected by radiation. Because radiation has its greatest effects on tissue that divides rapidly such as cancer; they are more susceptible to injury than normal cells. This cell injury stops the cancer cells from reproducing or it can actually destroy the cancer cell. Either way the tumor mass will begin to shrink as the viable cancer cells are reduced in number. With each treatment, more of the cells die and the tumor shrinks. The dead cells are broken down, carried away by the blood and excreted by the body. Most of the healthy cells are able to recover. However, the damage to the healthy cells may cause long and short-term side effects related to the body area irradiated.

The dose of radiation is determined by the size, extent, type and grade of tumor and its known response to radiation therapy. Complex calculations and computer generated planning are done to determine the dose distribution and timing of radiation. Often, the treatment is delivered from several different angles in order to deliver the maximum amount of radiation to the tumor and the minimum amount to normal surrounding tissues. Treatments are generally given daily over a period of days or weeks to adequately destroy the cancer cells.

Some things to remember about radiation therapy:

• External beam radiation passes through your body and does not remain in you. You are not radioactive.
• Only the body area in the field of radiation is affected.
• Normal cells exposed to radiation have the ability to repair themselves.
• The side effects that occur during radiation therapy are manageable.

Our board certified physicians provide consultation; treatment and follow-up care for those who need radiation treatment for the management of their cancer. Inpatient radiation treatment is specific to the application of brachytherapy, which is internal radiation treatment achieved by temporarily or permanently implanted radioactive material directly into, or very close to, the tumor. Radioactive substances commonly used in these implant procedures include iodine, strontium, iridium, cesium and palladium.

Treatment planning is done on state-of-the-art computers with 3-dimensional reconstruction capabilities based on single modality cross sectional images or fused images of CT, MRI and PET. This allows the most accurate, focused radiation treatment to the tumor without damaging the surrounding normal tissue. The Center's computerized linear accelerators deliver customized radiation to maximize an individual's treatment plan that includes IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) for clinically appropriate applications.

Our Radiation Oncology Team considers both your present and future situations when planning each individual's Treatment plan. We are here to offer people living with cancer a better life today and a greater potential for healing tomorrow. You can contact us at (909) 865-9890.

Your Radiation Oncologists:

Y.S. Ram Rao, M.D.	SRI Gorty, M.D.