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Cancer Care

Cancer Care at Central Maine Healthcare

Home Treatments & Therapies Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy

 

More than fifty percent of all cancer patients will require radiation therapy during their treatment. Central Maine Healthcare offers some of the most advanced technology, including image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and RapidArc technology. These techniques deliver highly powerful and precise radiation to the tumor, while preserving the healthy tissue. That precise targeting means fewer treatments are usually necessary and you’ll experience fewer side effects.

Radiation Therapy

More than fifty percent of all cancer patients will require radiation therapy during their treatment. Central Maine Healthcare offers some of the most advanced technology, including image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT),  intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and RapidArc technology. These techniques deliver highly powerful and precise radiation to the tumor, while preserving the healthy tissue. That precise targeting means fewer treatments are usually necessary and you’ll experience fewer side effects.  Central Maine Medical Center is certified by the American College of Surgeons: Commission on Cancer (CoC).

What is Radiation Therapy?

Radiation Therapy uses high energy beams to destroy or shrink tumors, sometimes before or after cancer surgery, and to help alleviate symptoms. We offer the latest, safest and most effective radiation therapies to treat a wide range of cancers.

Our board-certified radiation oncologists and radiation therapists will work closely with your cancer care team and you to carefully plan and monitor each treatment to maximize success. We’ll also be right by your side through every phase of treatment to help you feel well and without major changes to your normal routine. 

Targeting Tumors with Extreme Precision

Central Maine Healthcare radiation therapists have some of the most sophisticated technology at their disposal. This technology allows your radiation therapist to deliver radiation in exactly the right place. This allows for a higher, more effective dosage amount without additional risk of side effects, including damage to normal, surrounding tissues.

The cutting-edge therapies we offer include:

  • Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT): Allows us to locate and track tumors with the use of advanced imaging before treatment delivery to deliver more precise radiation treatments.
  • Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): Allows radiation beams of various strengths and customized shapes to be delivered from several angles. Exact locations of the tumor and healthy structures are identified by your Radiation Oncologist, along with our knowledgeable dosimetry and physics planning team with the use of advanced computer planning systems  to determine the intensity of each individual radiation beam, sparing as much healthy tissue as possible.
  • Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT): A technique used to treat lung cancers and other applicable disease sites, this technique uses carefully programmed coordinates to deliver narrowly focused, high-dose radiation beams to a solid tumor, while incorporating patient respiratory breathing cycles into the treatment plan.
  • 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy (3DCRT): Uses computer simulation of the tumor and surrounding areas to shape the radiation beam exactly to the tumor.
  • RapidArc: Is a technique that takes IMRT to the next level. Using IGRT and IMRT, the treatment machine  delivers treatment as it rotates in fluid arc rotations around the patient.  Treatment time is faster and often times treatments can be delivered n less than 10 minutes.

Support through Treatment and Beyond

Throughout your journey, we offer a full range of support services to help deal with any and all treatment challenges. That includes one-on-one counseling with a a registered dietitian to ensure good nutrition and manage any changes in appetite. You also have access to an oncology social worker for any emotional concerns, as well as a chaplain for spiritual care, ongoing support groups and much more.