Radiation Oncology

Dr. Orio shares About Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology—also called radiation therapy—uses high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue. Radiation therapy is a part of treatment for about two-thirds of patients with cancer. While it may be used alone as treatment, it is often combined with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery. Sometimes it’s used to ease symptoms of the disease and its treatment. Our patients have access to the latest, most effective treatment options proven to deliver the best possible outcomes.

Our team of board-certified radiation oncologists offers patients a depth of specialized knowledge and experience. We hold weekly multidisciplinary tumor boards (meetings to review and discuss the medical condition and treatment planning approaches for patient cases) and the specialists involved in the patient’s care—including medical oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, and radiation oncologists—apply their combined expertise to each patient's plan of care. Our radiation oncologists work in conjunction with physicists, dosimetrists, nurses, and therapists to develop the best treatment plan for each patient.

When radiation therapy is part of your treatment plan, our providers work closely together to develop an individualized radiation therapy plan and provide supportive resources before and after treatment.

A non-invasive method of treating brain tumors and some metastatic cancers without the risks of surgery or a long hospital stay. Despite its name, radiosurgery is not actual surgery, but rather a radiation therapy technique that uses highly precise equipment and three-dimensional computer planning to focus a beam of high-dose x-rays on a brain mass.

A type of conformal external beam radiation therapy that enables the radiation oncologist to more precisely shape the beam to the tumor and vary the intensity of the beam as it passes near or through non-cancerous tissues.

The most advanced form of radiation therapy, providing the best treatment outcomes with fewer, less severe side effects. Incorporating IGRT during radiation treatment couples image-guided accuracy with intensity-modulated precision. The result is improved targeting of cancerous tissue, while sparing nearby healthy tissue.

Uses special software and an advanced linear accelerator to deliver a precisely-sculpted 3D dose distribution with a 360-degree rotation. This technology makes it possible to deliver a higher dose of radiation to a tumor with less damage to the surrounding normal tissue.

Administers very high doses of radiation, using several beams of various intensities aimed at different angles to precisely target the tumor.

A technique that delivers a higher dose of radiation in a shorter period of time. This focused approach limits the size of the treatment volume which, in turn, permits the radiation dose to be intensified. This therapy can be used alone or as a boost to standard external beam radiation therapy.