Radiation Oncology is a treatment form that uses radiation to treat
malignant (and a few select non-malignant) medical conditions. It is
the use of high-energy radiation beams to pinpoint and destroy
cancerous cells in a patient’s body. Plainly, radiation therapy is
similar to having a x-ray taken; however, the dose of radiation in
cancer treatment is stronger (of higher energy) and is given over a
longer period of time.
High Plains Oncology is a team of clinical and technical personnel,
which in concert plan each patient’s individual treatment. Through
careful localization and planning, radiation can be directed to the
cancerous cells and away from healthy tissues, thus allowing for
treatment to be conforming to the patient’s tumor, or diseased area.
This flexibility allows for more effective and precise treatment,
increasing radiation to the tumor and decreasing radiation to the
patient’s normal tissues.
Different types of cancer will react to radiation in different ways,
so treatment will vary depending on the type and stage of cancer. A
highly trained team staffs High Plains Oncology. The Radiation
Oncologists work closely with the radiation therapist, registered
nurse, physicists, IT staff, and dosimetrist. High Plains Oncology
utilizes IMPAC's Mosiaq system to record and verify all treatments.
This double-checking mechanism assures consistent and accurate
treatment of all patients treated at the facility.
High Plains Oncology has one linear accelerator in use, a Varian
Clinac 2100 C. This machine is a “state-of-the-art” linear
accelerator, which allow precise radiation delivery. In conjunction
with conventional external beam treatment, we offer Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). IMRT is a radiation modality
that tailors a high dose to the target tumor while restricting the
dosage to the surrounding sensitive structures. Rather than being
treated with a single, large uniformed beam, the patient is treated
instead with many very small beams; each can have a different
intensity. By cross firing the tumor with multiple pencil sized
beams, the device can deliver a uniformed radiation dose to the
tumor while protecting surrounding sensitive tissue from high-dose
radiation.
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High Plains
Oncology
