Types of Radiation Therapy

Conventional, or 2D radiation therapy, uses x-ray films to guide and position radiation beams without the use of CT scans that provide 3-dimensional imaging. This type of treatment is often used for urgent treatments.

Three-dimensional conformal radiation, also called 3D conformal radiotherapy or 3D-CRT, became widely used as a result of advances made in imaging technologies. 3D conformal radiation helps limit the amount of radiation to nearby healthy tissue.

This article will discuss how IGRT is used, different IGRT techniques, what you can expect when IGRT is used, and the benefits.

A look at intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), how it works, what it is used for and the benefits of this modern radiation technology.

This article will review what VMAT is, how it is given, how long treatment takes, and the common cancers that it is used for.

Stereotactic radiation, also called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), is a form of radiation therapy. Many different angles are used to focus the radiation beams at one small point, like a magnifying glass. These beams combine to deliver high doses of radiation to a very specific area.

Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy that is given inside the body. Radioactive material is put into the body, as close as possible or into the tumor, allowing those cells to receive the most radiation while exposing healthy cells to less radiation.

This article covers radiation safety for internal radiation therapy.

Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy that can be used to treat some cases of breast cancer. This includes accelerated partial-breast radiation (APBI) and Mammosite.

Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation most often used for prostate cancer that is confined to the prostate gland or the area immediately around it. It may be used in combination with traditional (external beam) radiation therapy.

Brachytherapy is a type of internal radiation treatment that can be used to treat some cases of lung cancer.

GammaTile Therapy uses brachytherapy to stop brain tumors from coming back after surgery. The tiles begin delivering radiation right away, killing any remaining tumor cells, so the cells are not able to grow.

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is radiation therapy that is given during surgery. IORT can be used to treat cancers that are hard to remove or to kill any cancer cells left after surgery.

An overview of photodynamic therapy (PDT), which is a treatment that uses light to damage cancerous or abnormal tissues.

Electron beam therapy is a type of radiation that is used to treat very shallow tumors. In this article, we will discuss how electron beam radiation is given and the types of tumors often treated with electrons.

Total Skin Electron Beam Therapy (TSEBT) is a radiation treatment that treats the patient’s whole skin surface. It is used to treat Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma and/or Mycosis Fungoides, a type of lymphoma that affects the skin.

Total body irradiation is a type of radiation therapy that is used to treat your whole body with radiation. It is commonly used before receiving a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.

Electron radiation can be given to prevent keloids from coming back after they have been surgically removed. In this article, we will discuss what can cause keloids, where they are typically located, treatment options, what to expect during radiation, and common side effects.

Palliative radiation is the use of radiation to treat a specific area, and in some cases to reduce side effects such as pain and bleeding. Palliative radiation is done to improve the quality of life of the patient.

Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is used to prevent cancer from spreading (metastasizing) to your brain from primary tumors in other areas of your body that often spread to the brain.