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Radiation Oncology:
About Our Center and Expertise
Radiation Oncology at Mercy is a full-service Radiation
Oncology Care unit in an interdisciplinary setting. The Radiation
Oncology staff works in close collaboration with pathologists,
oncologists, surgeons
and other cancer specialists to provide patients with a multidisciplinary
treatment approach.
Radiation Oncology at Mercy is equipped with state-of-the-art
technologies to assist physicians with cancer diagnosis and
management, including:
- Linear accelerator for external radiation therapy
- Brachytherapy or internal radiation therapy
- MammoSite radiation therapy for breast cancer
- CT scanners and PET scan for simulation
and treatment planning
For more information call 410-332-9055.
Linear Accelerator
A device that produces high energy photon beams (x-rays) for
the treatment of deeply-seated tumors and electron beams
which are mostly used for more superficial cancers. Mercy's
linear accelerator uses multi-leaf collimators (MLC) for
the shaping of the radiation beams according to the configuration
of the tumors optimizing treatment delivery and minimizing
radiation exposure to the healthy tissue surrounding the
tumors.
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is also known as internal radiation therapy. A
sealed implant is inserted in the tissue near the tumor site,
allowing for a more precise delivery of radiation with
less damage to normal tissue. The brachytherapy program at
Mercy Medical Center, using the high-dose rate remote afterloading
technology, has been exceptionally successful in treating two
major tumor sites: gynecologic tumors and breast cancer. Mercy
has
become
a pioneer in the use of the MammoSite balloon
catheter for accelerated partial breast irradiation for a select
group of patients with early stage breast cancer. The prostatic
seed implant program continues to be very effective as well.
Radiation Oncology at Mercy works in close collaboration
with Mercy's urologists to treat patients diagnosed with prostate
cancer.
MammoSite Radiation Therapy
MammoSite, FDA-approved in May 2002, is a simpler, less invasive
method of delivering breast brachytherapy, a site-specific
radiation treatment completed in four to five days, as compared
to seven weeks for traditional external beam radiation therapy.
Physicians have the capability of delivering accelerated partial
breast radiation with a MammoSite catheter. Within a few days
of the lumpectomy, a catheter is placed in the tumor cavity,
the balloon is inflated and the radiation is delivered through
the tube. Instead of undergoing nearly 7 weeks of daily radiation
treatment, patients receive radiation for only a few days.
The new device delivers radiation directly to the area where
a breast tumor has been surgically removed by a lumpectomy,
which is the site where tumors are most likely to recur. With
its site-specific approach, MammoSite avoids external beam
therapy side effects, such as the irradiation of healthy tissue.
Brachytherapy is the first breast cancer treatment to deliver
radiation directly to the original tumor site and decrease
radiation time. While standard breast brachytherapy involves
surgically implanting up to 24 catheters into the breast, MammoSite
calls for just a single catheter to perform the therapy.
CT Scanners
The Radiology Department at Mercy offers the latest in CT (Computed
Tomography), which generates images that the radiation oncologist
will use to draw tumor volumes, map fields,
etc. The team of physicist and dosimetrist, (someone who
works in the study of electric fields induced in the body
by electric
and magnetic field sources) collaborate to produce a computerized
plan for conformal radiation therapy that is specific to
each patient and their cancer treatment.
The speed of the scanners benefits the patient since they
do not need to keep still as long during the scans. Patient
motion can result in a poor scan, and this new technology
all but eliminates this problem. This technology can provide
images of moving internal body parts that guide the physician
during biopsies. A simple injection using a small peripheral
needle, coupled with this high resolution scan, can ultimately
take the place of more invasive procedures.
Mercy has on-site CT staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
servicing outpatients from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with round-the-clock
coverage for the Emergency Department and all inpatients. Patients
who
need outpatient treatment may schedule appointments from 7:30am
to 6:00pm.
PET Scan
Oncology is one of the most important applications of PET (Positron
Emission Tomography) scanning. Through Mercy’s Nuclear
Medicine Department, Radiation Oncology has access to a state-of-the-art
PET scanner which provides vital diagnostic information that
can change the course of cancer treatment and help in avoiding
unnecessary surgery. PET can show whether a tumor is malignant,
whether the cancer has spread to other organs, and monitors
both cancer recurrences and the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
PET scans are used in conjunction with other diagnostic tests,
such as computed tomography (CT),
which show very detailed anatomy of the human body. When used
together the two tests
provide a more detailed evaluation of an individual patient
by analyzing both anatomy and function (chemistry). In many
cases PET will detect the presence and extent of a cancer before
it can be readily detected by CT scan alone. The combination
of the two tests can provide earlier detection and more precise
localization of cancers. Information from PET may be used to
decide between medical and surgical treatment. It is also utilized
to evaluate how a patient's cancer is responding to therapy.
Today, the PET scan has become more widely used in delineating
the extent of disease within the primary site and lymph nodes
as well as distant sites. Some of the anatomical sites in which
PET scans are an excellent tool for diagnosis and staging are
lung, brain, lymphomas, breast and, most recently, cervical
cancer. Comparing the intensity of the metabolic activity of
a tumor before and after treatment will determine the response
to treatment and the need for changes in the therapy.
Now Accepting New Patients.
Most Insurances Accepted.
Please call for an appointment.
Phone: 410-332-9055
Tollfree: 1-800-MD-Mercy
(1-800-636-3729)
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