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Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) is one of the most advanced treatments for cancers, such as prostate, breast, lung and skin cancer. IGRT enables Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ radiation oncologists to obtain high-resolution X-ray images to pinpoint exact tumor sites, adjust patient positioning when necessary and complete a treatment, all within standard treatment time.
IGRT also allows our oncologists to create treatment plans with smaller margins around tumor volumes. That, in turn, enables doctors to deliver higher doses to the tumor, while reducing the dose to nearby critical structures and healthy tissues.
 IGRT (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy)
- Uses state-of-the art imaging and radiotherapy techniques
- Improves the precision and effectiveness of cancer treatments
- Gives doctors the ability to accurately track and adjust for tumor movements at the moment of treatment, due to normal internal organ function like breathing and digestion.
- Allows for more dynamic, quicker treatment times.
- Electronic portal imaging device allows the room time for treatment to be minimized, and it allows for portable, all digital films of patients.
- Allows higher doses of radiation to cancer tissues while sparing normal adjacent structures; expected to provide increased treatment success in the future
- Available at all Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ locations – Brewton, Foley, Gulf Shores, Daphne and Monroeville
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This advanced form of radiotherapy offered at Gulf Coast Cancer Centers is a technologically superior device which selectively blocks portions of the radiation beam in order to attack only the affected area. In turn oncologists are able to treat tumors with precision, even in complicated areas.
IMRT creates a clinically optimized treatment plan by evaluating millions of possible beam arrangements, allowing doctors to give doses of radiation in three dimensions. By concentrating the radiation on the actual tumor, oncologists and radiologists are able to drastically reduce side effects of the treatment.
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|  For the treatment of prostate cancer, Gulf Coast Cancer Centers offers brachytherapy, also known as interstitial radiation. With brachytherapy, radioactive “seeds” are permanently implanted into the prostate gland to deliver a prescribed dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells, decreasing the risk of radiating surrounding healthy tissue and organs.
Brachytherapy may be done alone or in combination with other cancer treatments. In contrast to surgery to remove the prostate gland, brachytherapy is performed as an outpatient procedure that takes about 1 ˝ hours or less, allowing patients to return home without a lengthy hospital stay. In addition, patients don’t experience side effects such as incontinence or impotence.
Prior to the seed implantation, Gulf Coast Cancer Centers' doctors will schedule a series of routine tests including blood tests and chest x-rays. They will perform an ultrasound to determine the size, shape and location of your prostate in order to provide a “map” of how many seeds will actually be needed.
General or spinal anesthesia may be given to ensure you don’t have discomfort during the procedure. Additional medication may also be provided. During the procedure, an ultrasound probe is positioned inside the rectum to make the prostate visible on a monitor and to allow the doctor to view the placement of each seed. Needles are inserted through the skin between the scrotum and rectum, and the seeds are placed into the prostate.
Following the procedure, patients are taken to the recovery room until the anesthesia effects have worn off. Gulf Coast Cancer Centers staff will provide you with instructions and precautions related to the implantation such as avoiding strenuous activities for the first few days after the procedure. In some cases, you may be prescribed an antibiotic. Most patients can resume their normal routine within a matter of days.
BrainLAB uses frameless radiosurgery so there are no screws and no waiting for patients. BrainLAB uses a high-resolution beam shaper known as the m3®, a micro multi-leaf collimeter to precisely tailor the dose to the shape of the tumor. It gives greater accuracy and higher confidence when defining treatment volumes and organs at risk.
BrainLAB provides two major benefits: accuracy and dose. The advantages of shaped beam surgery include fewer complications, accelerated recovery and non-invasive treatment for cancerous tumors. This treatment is available at Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ Foley Location.
Full-body stereotactic radiosurgery is also known as Extracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery. It administers three accelerated treatments of radiation and is especially helpful in patients with: early-stage lung cancer that is medically inoperable,liver metastasis and treatment of tumors located next to the spine.
Full-body stereotactic radiosurgery uses an Onboard Imager which spins around patient instead of taking a single picture. An X-ray takes just front and side films. This treatment is available at Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ Foley Location.
- Simple excision: Thin melanomas can be completely cured by a minor operation called simple excision. The tumor is cut out, along with an amount of normal skin at the edges. The wound is carefully stitched back together. This surgery will leave a scar.
- Re-excision: If the melanoma were confirmed by biopsy, the area will need to be excised again. More skin will be cut away from the area around the melanoma and the tissue will be examined to make sure that no cancer cells remain in the skin.
- Amputation: If the melanoma is on a finger or toe, the treatment may mean amputation.
- Lymph node dissection: Once a diagnosis of melanoma has been made, the doctor will check the lymph nodes nearest the cancer. If the nodes are not enlarged, then a sentinel node biopsy may be done. If the sentinel node does not show cancer, then the disease has most likely not spread to other nodes. There would be no need to remove lymph nodes.
Once it looks like the melanoma has spread from the skin to distant organs (such as the lungs or brain), doctors generally assume it can no longer be cured by surgery.
What is radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, effectively treats cancer by using high-energy beams to pinpoint and destroy cancerous cells. Although radiation therapy is similar to an X-ray, the dose of radiation in cancer treatment is much stronger and is given over a longer period of time. Many forms of radiation are available. Your oncologist will choose the best therapy based on the type, stage and location of your cancer. With careful planning, radiation can be directed to the cancer and away from most normal tissues. This means you may receive treatment on more than one side of your body or from different angles. You may also need more than one type of radiation, which may require the use of more than one machine.
What are the possible side effects?
Side effects depend on the part of the body being treated. Most go away a few weeks after treatment ends. Side effects may include: red, itching and peeling skin in your treatment area, fatigue, loss of appetite, and hair loss.
Will radiation therapy make me radioactive?
No. You can continue to enjoy the same contact with family and friends without fear of exposing them to radiation.
How do I make an appointment with Gulf Coast Cancer Centers?
Patients can refer themselves to Gulf Coast Cancer Centers for cancer diagnosis, treatment or screening. These forms are located on the website under Patient Information, and all correspondence will be private and secure.
Patients, complete the Patient Self-Referral form to initiate the new patient appointment process. A Referral Specialist will call to collect the additional information that is required prior to confirming your appointment.
What can I expect in the Radiation Treatment Center?
For your initial visit, be prepared to spend one to three hours in the Center. You will meet with the Radiation Oncology team for evaluation. If you decide to proceed, you will receive more information about your particular treatment and possible side effects. An appointment will be made for your planning session (simulation).
Who administers my treatment?
The radiation oncologist is responsible for designing your treatment plan, including the amount of radiation you will receive and the total number of treatment days. The radiation oncologist will also manage any medical problems that may develop during your treatment. A radiation therapist delivers the prescribed treatment and will help you before, during and after treatments. All radiation therapists at Gulf Coast Cancer Centers are licensed, certified professionals who have completed extensive education in radiation treatment delivery and patient care. The health care team also includes other physicians, medical dosimetrists, physicists (specialists who use computers to help design treatment plans), radiation therapists and clinical assistants.
How often will I get radiation treatments?
Your daily treatments will probably be scheduled Monday through Friday, allowing you to rest on weekends. Your daily appointment schedule will be as convenient for you as possible. Your radiation therapist will notify you of any holidays on which you will not receive treatments. Your doctor will examine you and review your progress once a week. This scheduled check-up will take longer than the treatment visits. The nurses who see you during the check-up will work closely with you and the doctor to help you manage any side effects you may have. This is also the proper time to request refills for any medications that you may need to manage side effects.
Why do treatments last more than five weeks?
The large doses necessary to treat your tumor cannot be given at one time because of the severe side effects they would cause. On average, the course of treatment for radiation therapy takes 5 to 7 weeks. This time period enables your body to better tolerate the effects of the radiation.
Does radiation treatment hurt?
No. However, the treatment table can be a little uncomfortable. If you do experience pain during treatment, tell the radiation therapist. He or she will turn off the machine and come into the room. The radiation stops when the machine is turned off.
What is intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)?
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced form of radiotherapy that selectively blocks portions of the radiation beam in order to attack only the affected area. By concentrating the radiation on the actual tumor, oncologists and radiologists are able to drastically reduce side effects of the treatment.
What is image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)?
The latest in cancer treatment technology, IGRT is the process of mapping the location of an organ or tumor, using CT, on a daily basis from the start of treatment to completion. This allows clinicians to deliver the most accurate treatment possible. Gulf Coast Cancer Centers' Dynamic TargetingT IGRT technology uses an On-Board ImagerT and a linear accelerator from Varian Medical Systems.
The On-Board ImagerT for IGRT makes it possible to image and treat patients on a single machine that rotates around the patient taking X-ray images and delivering treatments from virtually any angle. Mounted on the medical linear accelerator, the on-board imaging device produces high-resolution images of the tumor tracking changes
in shape, size and position.
What makes IGRT so good for cancer treatment?
IGRT improves the precision and effectiveness of cancer treatments by giving doctors the ability to accurately track and adjust for tumor movements at the moment of treatment. Use of IGRT to correct the patient's positioning can decrease the volume of tissue being radiated, reducing morbidity and allowing higher doses to be delivered to the tumor.
Gulf Coast Cancer Centers has experienced physicians with proven success in treating numerous patients with varying cancer diagnoses including prostate, breast, colon, lung, and head and neck cancers through radiation therapy.
What is BrainLab?
BrainLAB, also known as Intracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery is used to treat neurological cancers. In it, a technician administers a large shot of radiation therapy to define small area. This technology uses frameless radiosurgery so there are no screws and no waiting for patients. BrainLAB uses a high-resolution beam shaper known as the m3®, a micro multi-leaf collimeter to precisely tailor the dose to the shape of the tumor. It gives greater accuracy and higher confidence when defining treatment volumes and organs at risk.
If brain lab is right for your cancer, it provides two major benefits: accuracy and dose. The advantages of shaped beam surgery include fewer complications, reduced hospital stay, accelerated recovery and non-invasive treatment for cancerous tumors. This treatment is available at Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ Foley Location.
What is Full-body Stereotactic Radiosurgery?
Full-body stereotactic radiosurgery is also known as Extracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery. It administers three accelerated treatments of radiation and is especially helpful in patients with: early-stage lung cancer that is medically inoperable,liver metastasis and treatment of tumors located next to the spine.
Full-body stereotactic radiosurgery uses an Onboard Imager which spins around patient instead of taking a single picture. An X-ray takes just front and side films. This treatment is available at Gulf Coast Cancer Centers’ Foley Location.
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