Radiation Oncology

Atlantic Health System Cancer Care prides itself on offering patients the most advanced radiation technology available. In many cases, we’re able to maximize the radiation dose while minimizing damage to healthy tissue as much as possible. This approach has proven effective in treating most types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, rectum, colon, cervix, head and neck, central nervous system, stomach, pancreas and uterine cancers.

High-Performance Linear Accelerators (LINAC)

LINACs use high-energy X-rays that conform to the shape of the tumor being treated. Atlantic Health System is equipped with state-of-the-art LINAC technology, such as Truebeam, CyberKnife, Trilogy and Clinac iX. Morristown Medical Center was the first in the Northeast to use Truebeam’s iterative cone beam computed tomography (iCBCT), and Overlook Medical Center was the first in the Northeast to offer CyberKnife for the treatment of inoperable or surgically complex tumors.

Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Arc Therapy

IMRT is an advanced, highly-conformal treatment that uses multiple beam angles and varying degrees of intensity to simultaneously increase the radiation dose applied to tumors and decrease the risk of side effects. It is effective at treating head and neck, prostate, gynecologic, thoracic, brain, gastrointestinal and breast cancers.

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

Commonly used in conjunction with IMRT, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) allows radiation oncologists to precisely target tumors and dynamically track their motion. This is made possible through a variety of advanced technologies, including:

• Surface image guidance
• 4D and gated cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)
• Iterative cone beam computed tomography (iCBCT)
• Computed tomography (CT) on-rail

Morristown Medical Center pioneered the first commercially-available CT-based image guidance treatment system in the world. The results of this work led to the widespread use of image-guided radiation therapy in radiation oncology today.

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)

Used alongside IMRT and IGRT, SBRT delivers precise, high doses of radiation over an extremely shortened period of time, usually five treatments or less. Side effects are minimal because it’s completely noninvasive and requires no anesthesia. SBRT is effective at treating lung, prostate, liver, pancreatic, adrenal gland, brain or spinal cord tumors

Accelerated Breast Radiation

This technique allows eligible women with breast cancer to receive radiation over a shorter time with effective tumor control and positive cosmetic outcomes. Learn more >

High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy provides an exceptionally high dose of temporary radioactivity directly next to or within a tumor. Treatments are customized to each patient, minimizing damage to organs in the surrounding areas without diminishing the total radiation applied to the tumor. Often available on an outpatient basis, HDR brachytherapy is commonly used to treat cervical, uterine, endometrial, lung and esophageal cancers.

Surface Tracking

Surface image guidance improves the precision of radiation treatments and our ability to repeat them. Multiple cameras track the patient’s position in 3D and alert our team if there has been movement from the desired location. Adjustments can be made without stopping treatment to correct any inaccuracies.

Cardiac-Sparing Radiation Therapy

Atlantic Health System Cancer Care uses methods that help prevent unintentional radiation damage to the heart in patients with left-sided breast cancer and tumors in the upper abdomen or chest. In addition to performing breast radiation therapy in the prone or lying face down position, our radiation oncologists teach patients how to take a deep breath and hold it throughout treatment – a technique known as deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH).

Rectum-Sparing Prostate Radiotherapy – SpaceOAR

Men undergoing radiation treatments for prostate cancer may be eligible for the placement of a specialized hydrogel called SpaceOAR. This substance acts as a spacer, increasing the distance between the prostate and the rectum, so that the rectum receives a much lower dose of radiation. SpaceOAR is injected as part of a minimally invasive procedure and is slowly reabsorbed by the body after treatments are completed.

Expert Radiation Oncology Team

Every patient’s treatment plan is reviewed by our multidisciplinary team of board-certified radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, oncology-certified nurses, oncology-certified nutritionists, licensed oncology social workers, and speech and swallowing therapists.