Radiation therapy is a non-surgical method of treatment of cancer and other diseases using penetrating beams of high-energy waves called x-rays or gamma rays. Radiation injures or destroys tumor cells by damaging their genetic material, making it impossible for these cells to continue to grow. Small amounts of surrounding normal cells may also be affected by radiation, but unlike cancer cells, most of them recover from the effects of radiation and are able to function properly. Because cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than most of the normal cells around them, radiation therapy can successfully treat many kinds of cancer.

At SVCCC, radiation therapy is managed by the Radiation Oncology Department, where our team of highly skilled specialists focuses on your well-being and provides all the caring support you need.

Doctors in SVCCC's Radiation Oncology Department use two types of radiation therapy:

• External beam radiation therapy - Specialized medical equipment delivers radiation to the tumor site from outside the body.
• Internal radiation therapy - Radioactive material is placed in the body near cancer cells (a procedure called implant radiation or brachytherapy)

Here, you'll find some of the most innovative treatment breakthroughs and advanced medical technologies, in addition to a multidisciplinary approach to your care. Our expert team includes specially trained physicians, physicists, therapists, nurses, social workers, a nutritionist and complementary therapists, who will work collaboratively with you to design a customized plan of care that aims to effectively and comfortably treat your cancer while preserving healthy tissue and minimizing side effects.

This multidisciplinary team approach helps to ensure that your experience with us is as comfortable, pain-free and clinically successful as possible. Each patient is evaluated and a customized treatment plan is developed to efficiently and effectively treat their cancer while reducing as many of the side effects as possible.