Treatment

Radiation Therapy Treatment incorporates high-energy radiation to target tumors and kill cancer cells.

Central Care Cancer Center utilizes the most current radiation therapy technology. Applying advances in imaging, patient positioning and targeting, our physicians are able to focus radiation directly on the affected area with minimal dose to surrounding tissues.  Central Care Cancer Center offers systems optimized to deliver every type of external beam therapy including:

• Stereotactic Procedures
• Brachytherapy – High Dose Rate (HDR) & Low Dose Rate (LDR)

Our expert physicians combined with our access to state-of-the-art technology will provide you with the most advanced treatment options for the best possible outcomes.

External Radiation
External radiation is delivered by a radiation therapist using a machine called a linear accelerator. The treatment beam is only on for a matter of seconds, although it is not measured by time. The linear accelerator runs on electricity, so when the machine is turned off there is no radiation in the treatment room.

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Internal Radiation
Internal radiation is called Brachytherapy (“break – ee – therapy”). Brachytherapy is delivered using a radiation source, such as Cesium or Iridium, which is implanted into the body. Brachytherapy can be delivered in a short amount of time or as a permanent implant which will decay over time, slowing releasing radiation as it decays similar to an extended-release medication.

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Meet The Tru BeamSTx
The new TrueBeam STx system from Varian Medical Systems is an advanced radiosurgery solution for treating cancer. A game-changing leap in innovation, it performs many different treatment techniques such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). With its power and flexibility, clinicians can now develop treatments that are best suited for patients’ individual circumstances.  The TruBeamSTx is located at Heartland Cancer Center in Garden City, KS and at the Carrie J. Babb Cancer Center in Bolivar, MO.

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Central Care Cancer Center provides Radiation Therapy at the following locations: Emporia, Garden City, Great Bend, Newton, Salina and Bolivar, Mo.

We know you have a lot of questions and hopefully we can answer some of them for you here.  Radiation Treatment and You is written with you in mind - someone who is currently receiving or about to receive radiation therapy for cancer.

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Immunotherapy boosts the body’s immune system, and it typically results in fewer side effects that can be less severe than those associated with other forms of cancer treatment. However, not everyone experiences the same side effects, and, for some people, they may become more severe.

Side effects of any cancer treatment can be physical as well as emotional, and some can be prevented while others may be managed. Knowing what to expect, and what to do if side effects do occur, will make your treatment experience more manageable. If you feel better, you are more likely to finish your treatment as planned by your treatment team. Ask your medical team about the side affects you can expect with immunotherapy, and when they are likely to occur.

The following are some side effects associated with immunotherapy:

• Immune-mediated adverse reactions are not common but can occur and tend to be the most serious of the possible side effects. This type of reaction occurs when the immune system is overstimulated by the treatment and may cause inflammation, swelling or redness, which may be painful. Following are some of the systems affected by immune-mediated adverse reactions and common symptoms:
  • Endocrine (endocrinopathies): hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, extreme fatigue, persistent or unusual headaches
  • Gastrointestinal (colitis): diarrhea with or without bleeding, abdominal pain, bowel perforation
  • Neurologic (neuropathies): numbness or tingling, sensory overload or sensory deprivation

Surgery is the oldest form of treatment for cancer. It also has an important role in diagnosing and staging (finding the extent) of cancer. Today, more limited and less invasive operations are often done to remove tumors and to try to preserve as much normal function as possible. Surgery offers the greatest chance for cure for many types of cancer, especially those that have not yet spread to other parts of the body. Most people with cancer will have some type of surgery.

When is surgery used?

Surgery can be performed in a cancer patient for many reasons. They include: Preventative, Diagnostic, Staging, Curative, Debulking, Palliative, Supportive, and Reconstructive.

Surgery is only one part of a patient’s treatment plan. For example, breast cancer treatment options may include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Sometimes radiation therapy is used as adjuvant therapy to make your primary treatment more effective. For example, you can be treated with radiation therapy (the adjuvant treatment) before surgery (the primary treatment) to help shrink the cancer and allow less radical surgery than would otherwise be required, or you may be treated with radiation after surgery to destroy microscopic cells that may have been left behind.

Skin cancer treatment options often focus on outpatient surgery as a primary option, to remove the cancerous growth entirely when detected early.

Teamwork and continuous communication between the patient, the referring physician, surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist will assure that the patient will receive the most comprehensive, customized treatment for their cancer.

Central Care Cancer Center have joined forces with NCORP-KC (Community Oncology Research Program) to provide patients at participating locations with the latest in cancer research and care.  Eligible Central Care Cancer Center patients can enroll in selected NCORP-KC sponsored clinical trials, receive second opinions and consultations and participate in on-site outreach and education programs.