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Radiation Oncology

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What is Radiation Oncology?

Radiation oncology is one of the three major cancer specialties in oncologic medicine. It uses energy from radiation beams, radio isotopes, or charged particles to target tumors and to eradicate cancer cells.

Radiation beams are usually generated in treatment machines, such as linear accelerators or high-energy CT scanners. Another type of radiation treatment uses radioisotopes, or radioactive materials. These are utilized in radiation implants and radioisotope-labeled molecules in the treatment of various cancers.

In addition to getting rid of cancer, radiation treatment is highly effective in reducing symptoms such as cancer-related pain. Radiation has also been used in the treatment of many benign (non-cancerous) conditions in both adults and children.

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Radiation Oncology

UR Medicine's Approach

At the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center, the Department of Radiation Oncology is an essential part of multidisciplinary care. A team of experts from surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and many other disciplines will come together to evaluate and manage your cancer treatment. This is a unique approach to care and is considered the ideal model of cancer care.

We provide state-of-the-art treatment technology to increase the curability of cancer while reducing side effects. Our comprehensive cancer care team includes physician radiation oncologists, radiation physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, nurses, social workers, and nutritionists.

What Can I Expect from Radiation Oncology?

Your treatment will involve a team of healthcare providers from the Department of Radiation Oncology. Typically, a radiation oncologist will direct the radiation treatment process and plans. Your team will also include a secretary, a nurse, a nurse practitioner, a resident physician in training, radiation therapists who operate the treatment machines, and a radiation dosimetrist or physicist specializing in radiation treatment physical plans.

A typical radiation treatment process begins with an initial consultation with your radiation oncologist. The treatment recommendation, indication, rationale, benefits, side effects, and potential risks will be explained to you. This is followed by a radiation simulation session, which takes approximately one hour. This simulation process ensures the accuracy of your treatment plan.

Your actual treatment will begin 7-14 days later. However, patients with cancer-related emergencies can begin their treatments sooner. Daily treatment visits may take 15 -30 minutes and generally last 1 to 8 weeks, depending on the diagnosis and the treatment plan. The stereotactic brain radiosurgery is generally completed in one session. The stereotactic body radiosurgery is generally completed in less than 10 sessions.

Your radiation oncologist, therapists, and the team nurse will be there for you every step of the way. They will help you assess treatment-related side effects, your progress, and tolerance. The department offers assistance from social workers and nutritionists. Support groups for cancer patients are also available. These include disease-specific groups, age-specific groups, and many others.

Your cancer treatment team will be your very best resource for learning more about your disorder. A radiation oncologist will evaluate your treatment process during your treatment course at a one-on-one session with you at least once a week. The nurse, nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, and resident physician on your team will also be valuable resources regarding education about your disease or condition.

The Wilmot Cancer Center has a patient and family resource center for those seeking additional information about specific cancers as well as information concerning radiation therapy. The center is located on the 1st floor of the Cancer Center.

What Sets Us Apart?

The Department of Radiation Oncology at URMC is the region’s leader in radiation cancer treatment. We are also recognized nationally as one of the leading institutions in radiation technology, treatment and research in radiation and cancer biology, as well as radiation late effects.

The Department of Radiation Oncology treats all types of cancer as well as some benign conditions. More importantly, we provide treatment by subspecialists. In other words, the doctors who treat you have a large amount of experience in your specific type of cancer.

In many cases, your treatment will be confidentially discussed at our Disease Specific Tumor Board. In this conference, we call upon the expertise of over a dozen doctors—including oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists—to fine-tune your treatment. We also ensure that you will have access to the very latest technology and treatments. As a research institution, we often provide innovative treatments through NCI approved clinical trials that will not be available at other hospitals. 

We are an American College of Radiology (ACR) accredited facility. ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

To achieve ACR accreditation, our facility’s personnel qualifications, equipment requirements quality assurance and quality control procedures have gone through a rigorous review process and have met specific qualifications. Every aspect of the ACR accreditation process is overseen by board-certified, expert radiation oncologists and medical physicists.

When you see the ACR seal, you can be assured that your treatment will be done at a facility that has met the highest level of quality and radiation safety. The facility and its personnel have gone through a comprehensive review to earn accreditation status by the ACR.

Providers

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Locations

We serve you in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region.

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8 locations

Pluta Cancer Center - Henrietta
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

Red Creek (Calkins Corporate Park)
125 Red Creek Drive
Rochester, NY 14623

Wilmot Cancer Center - Rochester
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

Strong Memorial Hospital
90 Crittenden Boulevard
Rochester, NY 14642

Wilmot Cancer Institute - Radiation Oncology - Batavia
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital

262 Bank Street
Batavia, NY 14020

Ann and Carl Myers Cancer Center - Dansville

Noyes Memorial Hospital
111 Clara Barton Street
Dansville, NY 14437

Wilmot Cancer Institute - Greece

155 Bellwood Drive
Rochester, NY 14606

Wilmot Cancer Institute - Rochester

Highland Hospital
1000 South Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620

Sands Cancer Center - Canandaigua

395 West Street, Suite 101
Canandaigua, NY 14424

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