Radiation Oncology at Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center
The radiation oncologists at Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center combine a personalized approach with the latest technologies to deliver state-of-the-art radiation therapy that kills cancer cells and shrinks tumors.
Cutting-Edge Radiation Therapy for Enhanced Patient Care
Patients across the CSRA and beyond come to Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center’s Radiation Therapy Center for exceptional patient care and the most advanced radiation therapy technology in the region. Our board-certified radiation oncologists are specially equipped to use this technology to diagnose and aggressively treat cancer while allowing you to continue as normal a lifestyle as possible during and after treatments.Advanced radiation therapy technology
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy radiation to damage and kill cancer cells or slow their growth. At Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center, our state-of-the-art radiation therapy technology includes:- Accuray’s Radixact Tomotherapy: Utilizes image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) featuring best-in-class clinical workflows and highly conformal treatments for precise delivery of intensity modulated radiation treatments (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments.
- Varian’s Edge: Delivers precise doses of radiation to tumors of the lung, brain, spine and other areas of the body. Using Edge, our team is able to precisely calculate patient movement in all six degrees of freedom—the number of ways a rigid body can freely move in three-dimensional space—and monitor respiratory motion.
- Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion: Today, cranial radiosurgery with Perfexion is performed in hundreds of leading hospitals and clinics around the world. It is preferred for its extreme accuracy, efficiency and outstanding therapeutic response.
- Varian TrueBeam: Ease, precision and speed are all utilized to deliver dosage with pinpoint accuracy to a variety of different tumors including those in sensitive areas such as the abdomen, liver, lung, breast and head and neck.
- Nucletron Microselectron High Dose Radiation Remote Afterloader Unit: Performs brachytherapy treatments by using applicators and catheters to drive a very small radiation source directly into, or next to, a tumor.
Our Services
Conditions We Treat
Our team specializes in the treatment of many types of cancer, including:- Breast cancer
- Central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) cancer
- Gastrointestinal (including the liver and kidney) cancer
- Gynecologic malignancies
- Head and neck malignancies
- Prostate cancer
- Pediatric cancers
- Thoracic malignancies (including lung cancer)
- Other cancers (including skin, eye, lymphoma, myeloma and melanoma)
Types of Radiation Therapies
Radiation therapy is administered through different methods depending on the type of cancer, the location of the cancer and the patient’s health. Sometimes radiation therapy is used in combination with other treatments. Throughout your radiation treatment, you will be evaluated weekly (or more frequently) by your radiation oncologist.Some of the different types of radiation therapies we offer include:
External radiation (external beam therapy)
With external radiation, radiation is administered by a large machine that points the energy waves directly at the tumor. A radiation therapist controls the machine. Since radiation is used to kill cancer cells, special shields may be made to protect the tissue surrounding the treatment area.
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): Uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specific areas within the tumor
- Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) or RapidArc radiation therapy technology: An advanced form of IMRT that delivers a precisely sculpted 3D dose distribution. Unlike conventional IMRT treatments, during which the machine must rotate several times around the patient or make repeated stops and starts to treat the tumor from a number of different angles, VMAT/RapidArc can deliver the dose to the entire tumor in a 360-degree rotation, typically in less than two minutes.
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy/stereotactic radiosurgery (SBRT/SRS): Delivers high-dose treatments in five or less fractions to small tumors using highly accurate, precise and focused radiation delivery.
- 3D treatments: Uses targeted information from from CT, MRI and PET scans to only treat the tumor and spare any healthy tissues. By using other imaging to aid in treatment planning, a higher dose can be delivered directly to harmful cells.
Internal radiation (brachytherapy, implant radiation, systemic radiation)
With internal radiation, a high dose of radiation is delivered inside the body as close to the cancer as possible. The radiation treatment may be swallowed, injected or implanted directly into the tumor. Some of the radioactive implants are called seeds or capsules. Internal radiation involves administering a higher dose of radiation in a shorter time span when compared with external radiation. Some internal radiation treatments stay in the body temporarily; others remain permanently, although the radioactive substance loses its radiation energy over time.
Radiation Therapy Treatment Procedures
Radiation therapy typically begins with these procedures:- Simulation process: After a physical examination and review of your medical history, your treatment team maps out the position you will be in for each treatment and the exact location on your body (referred to as treatment field or port) where the radiation will be administered. Sometimes, the area on your body that requires treatment will be marked to make sure radiation is given properly. Your treatment team may make molds, headrests or other devices to help position you during your treatment. Imaging studies, such as CT or MRI scans, may also be performed during the simulation process to help determine how and where to direct the radiation during your treatments.
- Treatment plan: Once the simulation process is completed, your radiation oncologists work with the medical dosimetry team to determine your treatment plan, including the type of machine to use, the amount (dose) of radiation needed and the number of treatments that will be given. Unlike open surgery, radiation is non-invasive and performed completely outside the body without touching the skin.
Your Care Team
Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center’s Radiation Oncology department include the area’s largest team of radiation therapy experts, including radiation oncologists, nurses, radiation physicists, medical dosimetrists and radiation therapists. We employ only board-certified radiologic technologists—a higher standard than required by the state—who specialize in radiation therapy.Nursing Team
Our nursing team members include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, a certified medical assistant, social worker, registered dietitian and physician assistant, who all guide you throughout your radiation treatment. The team works closely with physicians to provide the highest level of individualized care to our patients. You will meet your personal radiation oncology nurse at the time of initial consultation and will continue this partnership throughout the course of your treatment and at follow-up visits. During radiation treatment, your nurse will:
- Evaluate you weekly (or sometimes more frequently)
- Answer questions you may have regarding your care
- Provide you with information about your specific diagnosis and radiation therapy
- Help manage any side effects you may be experiencing
- Provide emotional support to you and your family and offer other resources for assistance.
Medical Dosimetrists
Our radiation therapy dosimetry team consists of four board-certified medical dosimetrists, who collaborate with radiation oncologists to provide customized treatment plans for each patient using the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. These specialists also instruct and mentor the students within Medical College of Georgia’s growing radiation therapy program.