More than half of all patients with cancer in the U.S. will receive radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment. And when you need radiation therapy, it's important to have a radiation oncologist on your team who specializes in the cancer you have.
That's exactly what you'll find at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center. Our radiation oncologists specialize in treating specific cancers. This expertise means your radiation oncologist knows what will work best for your unique needs. This may include clinical trials looking at novel ways to treat cancer with radiation, along with specialized procedures, like brachytherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and systemic radiation treatments.
As a key member of your care team, your radiation oncologist works side-by-side with your medical and surgical oncologists. Together, they'll put together a care plan focused on targeting the cancer while sparing healthy tissue — and ultimately protecting your quality of life.
What Is Radiation Therapy?
Radiation oncology, also called radiotherapy, uses high-energy radiation to destroy or damage cancer cells. Radiation is used to treat most types of cancer, including but not limited to breast, prostate, lung, brain and head and neck cancers.
You may receive radiotherapy on its own. Or, you may have radiation in addition to other cancer treatments, like surgery or drugs. More specifically, you may have radiation to shrink tumors before or after surgery, or in addition to chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
Radiation therapy involves a broad range of treatments and techniques. At RUSH MD Anderson, we offer many advanced radiation treatments. Your providers will work together to develop the best treatment plan for you depending on the type of cancer you have, its stage, your overall health and many other factors.
Types of radiation therapy include:
- External beam radiation therapy is delivered by an advanced linear accelerator. This accelerator aims radiation directly at the treatment area, helping to protect healthy tissue.
- Internal radiation therapy places radiation directly at the site of the cancer.
New Linear Accelerators Make Radiation Therapy Fast and Painless
When Radiation Therapy Is Recommended
Radiation therapy can be used to treat most types of cancer, but whether radiation therapy is right for you will depend on your diagnosis, overall health, goals and more.
These are reasons your RUSH MD Anderson provider may recommend radiation therapy:
- As the main treatment for cancer that has not spread
- To shrink a tumor before surgery
- To destroy remaining cancer cells after surgery
- To shrink tumors to relieve pain
Meet our radiation oncology providers
How Radiation Therapy Is Performed at RUSH MD Anderson
First, you’ll meet your radiation oncologist. They’ll partner with you to decide if radiation therapy is right for you and explain every step of the process. They’ll answer any questions you have along the way.
If you are receiving external beam radiation therapy, you’ll likely have a simulation appointment before receiving treatment. During this session, your team, including skilled radiation therapists, will evaluate how to deliver radiation as precisely as possible. They’ll determine the exact position you will need to lie in during treatment to target the tumor site. They may mark the site where radiation should be delivered.
You may have additional imaging scans to determine where radiation should be directed.
The number of radiation treatments you’ll need will depend on your specific condition. Often, you’ll have radiation each day, Monday through Friday, for several weeks. Radiation treatments are short, sometimes lasting just 10 or 15 minutes. RUSH MD Anderson offers radiation at many locations in the Chicago area, so you can choose a site convenient for you.
Throughout your treatment, and afterwards, you’ll receive supportive care from your radiation oncologist, radiation technicians and other providers. They will help manage side effects and answer any questions you have during treatment.
Getting a Second Opinion from RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center
Have you been diagnosed with cancer? Consider a second opinion from RUSH MD Anderson. A second opinion can help you explore all your options and begin treatment with confidence and clarity.
RUSH MD Anderson offers easy access to second opinions, including free virtual intake visits with our knowledgeable nurse navigators for anyone in Illinois.
Choosing RUSH MD Anderson for Radiation Oncology
- Focus on your quality of life: In addition to treating the cancer itself, you may also receive radiation therapy to reduce pain and improve your quality of life. Your radiation oncologist will work closely with other supportive care providers at RUSH MD Anderson to ensure that you are getting treatment that helps you feel and live better.
- Customized, precise radiation therapy: Our state-of-the-art linear accelerators deliver fast, precise and highly personalized radiation therapy. The machines offer real-time imaging to track your tumor, allowing us to protect healthy tissue while maximizing our ability to destroy the cancer cells.
- Comfortable environment for care: During radiation treatments, you can customize the color of the lights in the room, as well as the music you’re listening to, creating a soothing environment for your treatment.
- Quicker treatments: Radiation treatments are often done within 10 or 15 minutes, so you can carry on with your day.
- Care where — and when — you need it: We make it easy for you to get radiation treatments at a location most convenient to you. No matter where you see your care team, you can choose to get radiation treatment in Chicago, Oak Park, Aurora and Lisle.
- Radiation oncology accreditation: All RUSH MD Anderson radiation oncology locations are nationally accredited by the American College of Radiology and also by APEx. ASTRO's APEx – Accreditation Program for Excellence® was developed by radiation oncology professionals to recognize facilities that deliver the safest, highest quality care to their patients.
- Recognized experts: Many RUSH MD Anderson cancer experts, including radiation oncologists, are named top doctors in Chicago by Castle Connolly, a recognition voted on by fellow doctors for exceptional patient care.
FAQs About Radiation Oncology
High-energy radiation damages cancer cells, making it harder for these cells to grow and multiply. Radiation therapy can slow the growth of tumors, and in many cases, shrink or destroy tumors.
RUSH MD Anderson offers a wide range of advanced radiation therapies, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), total body irradiation, brachytherapy and radiation therapy for benign conditions.
No, external radiation therapy is generally not painful during treatment. You may experience side effects after treatment. Your care team will help you manage any side effects.
Radiation therapy sessions are generally short, lasting 15 to 30 minutes. The number of sessions you will need depends on the type of cancer you have, its stage and many other factors. You may need just a few sessions, or many weeks or months of sessions. Your RUSH MD Anderson provider will let you know what to expect.
Radiation therapy can cause a range of side effects. Your specific side effects will depend on the area of your body being treated. Your care team will let you know what to expect. Common side effects of radiation therapy include fatigue, hair loss, nausea and vomiting.
Radiation therapy is available at locations in Chicago, Oak Park, Aurora and Lisle.
Yes. Radiation therapy is often combined with other treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy.
Stereotactic radiation therapy uses precisely focused radiation to treat tumors. Unlike traditional external beam radiation therapy, SBRT is completed in a limited number of sessions. Your provider may recommend stereotactic radiation therapy if your tumor is small and well-defined, or located next to critical organs like the brain, spine or lungs.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is commonly used to treat brain tumors.
Radiation therapy is used to treat almost every type of cancer. At RUSH MD Anderson, you’ll be treated by a radiation oncologist who is an expert in your type of cancer.
Radiation can also be used to treat many noncancerous conditions, including but not limited to osteoarthritis (OA), keloids, heterotopic ossification, arteriovenous malformation (AVMs), trigeminal neuralgia, plantar warts and Dupuytren’s contracture.
Brain and nervous system tumors: RUSH MD Anderson offers many advanced radiation treatments to shrink brain tumors. We provide stereotactic radiosurgery, an outpatient treatment to precisely target brain tumors without exposing healthy tissue.
Thoracic cancer: Radiation can treat a variety of thoracic cancers, including but not limited to lung cancer, thymic cancer, mesothelioma and esophageal cancer. RUSH MD Anderson has one of the busiest lung stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) programs in the region. We specialize in single fraction radiation techniques, treatments completed in one session.
Blood cancers: In some cases, very low doses of radiation delivered over a couple days can be an effective treatment for certain blood cancers, including Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.
Gastrointestinal cancer: Radiation can treat many forms of GI cancer, including rectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer. Rush was the first hospital in Illinois to offer peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), a novel therapy for GI neuroendocrine cancers.
Gynecologic cancer: Radiation therapy can treat gynecologic cancer, including cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine and endometrial cancer, vaginal cancer and vulvar cancer.
Genitourinary cancer: RUSH MD Anderson offers radiation therapy to treat many genitourinary cancers, including prostate, kidney, bladder and testicular cancer.
Head and neck cancer: At RUSH MD Anderson, you’ll find innovative radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This therapy allows your team to target cancer cells while avoiding healthy cells and tissues.
Sarcomas: Radiation therapy is used to treat many types of soft tissue and bone sarcoma. RUSH MD Anderson sarcoma experts work alongside radiation oncologists to develop a personalized treatment plan for you.
Breast cancer: RUSH MD Anderson offers many types of radiation therapy to treat breast cancer, including, but not limited to, accelerated breast irradiation, which can reduce treatment time, and intraoperative radiation therapy, delivers radiation during surgery to remove tumors. We also offer radiation techniques to reduce radiation exposure to your heart and lungs during treatment.
Your first radiation oncology appointment will likely be a consultation. You will meet your radiation oncologist. They will explain your treatment options, and together you will decide your treatment plan. They will answer any questions you have.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Rush University Medical Center among the best in the nation for cancer care.
