Radiation Oncology Program Our Services
The latest diagnostic and treatment techniques in radiology are available to patients of the IU Simon Cancer Center through the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Diagnostic Tools
Cancer diagnosis may be aided by one or more radiographic studies, such as a CT scan, x-ray, or magnetic resonance imaging, that create pictures of some part of the body to find signs of cancer or other abnormalities.
Treatment Options
Treatment options for cancer may include one or more of the following, based on the most current treatment recommendations and the needs of the patient:
- 3-D conformal radiation treatments is a procedure that uses a computer to create a 3-dimensional picture of the tumor. This allows doctors to give the highest possible dose of radiation to the tumor, while sparing the normal tissue as much as possible.
- Gamma knife is a radiation delivery machine coupled with sophisticated computer software designed to deliver precise radiosurgery treatments to the brain and base of skull tumors. The Gamma Knife may be used as an alternative to conventional neurosurgery and radiation therapy techniques. It can be used to treat benign and malignant brain tumors, vascular problems within the brain, and certain pain disorders.
- Stereotactic body frame or a radiation therapy technique that uses special equipment to position the patient and precisely deliver a large radiation dose to a tumor and not to normal tissue.
- Total skin electron therapyis used for the treatment of skin-based T-cell lymphomas (mycosis fungoides). This type of radiation therapy uses electrons that are directed at the entire surface of the body. This type of radiation goes into the outer layers of the skin, but does not go deeper into tissues and organs below the skin.
- Brachytherapyis a procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near a tumor. This technique allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered to the tumor site while limiting risk of damage to surrounding normal tissues and structures. Brachytherapy may be used for treatment of localized prostate cancer, or low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy may be used to treat cancers of the cervix, uterus and nasopharynx.
- Total body irradiationis the use of full-body high-energy radiation to shrink tumors in preparation for a patient's bone marrow transplantation. An innovative moving table technique provides optimum patient comfort and precision for the procedure, guaranteering protection of vital organs and dose uniformity.
IU Simon Cancer Center patients have access to all standard treatment therapies and, for those who qualify, state of the science clinical trials for care options not yet available elsewhere. Information is also available about ongoing clinical studies elsewhere in the United States.
More about the IU School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology