Radiation Oncology in Catawba County

Sophisticated Cancer Treatments

The 23,000-square-foot Radiation Oncology Center at Catawba Valley Medical Center utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and services to provide the most advanced cancer treatments available to our patients. Staffed by Board Certified Radiation Oncologists, Board Certified Medical Physicists, registered radiation therapists, two registered nurses, and skilled support staff, CVMC’s Radiation Oncology department brings access to sophisticated cancer treatment minimizing the need for cancer patients and their families to travel to Charlotte, Winston-Salem, or Asheville to obtain the latest radiation oncology services. The department is accredited by the American College of Radiology for Radiaton Oncology

State of the Art Radiation Treatments

• TrueBeam and Trilogy Linear Accelerators – uses Image Guiding Radiation Therapy (IGRT) to acquire a three-dimensional model of the target area for each treatment, providing greater accuracy in pinpointing tumor volume, preventing harm to surrounding tissue and increasing treatment efficiency.
• Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and Cone-Beam CT – advanced IGRT systems available on our accelerators allow for imaging of each patient to accurately target the tumor volume. A cone-beam CT (CBCT) or digital x-ray can be performed and automatically aligned with the treatment planning CT.
• Electronic Medical Record (EMR) – special to radiation oncology, this system charts treatment data for easier physician evaluation and allows for convenient interdepartmental scheduling.
• Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) – radiation treatment that delivers precise beams of radiation to cancer cells with minimal damage to surrounding tissues and organs, allowing a higher cancer control rate with lower rates of side effects.
• High Dose Rate (HDR) Therapy – HDR units and applicators are highly successful in the treatment of prostate, breast, and gynecological cancers. HDR therapy enables much larger doses of therapy within a smaller number of visits, which results reduced side effects and equal-to-better cure rates than conventional therapy.
• Sterotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) – our accelerators are capable of using radio-surgery techniques to deliver very high doses of radiation to small tumors located in various parts of the body. SBRT treatments are delivered in just 3-5 treatments and use IGRT and Respiratory Gating to precisely target the tumor while sparing the surrounding normal tissues.
• SIRT Liver Microspheres – Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) is used to deliver SIR-Spheres radioactive microspheres to tumors located within the liver. The treatment is done in the Interventional Radiology Suite as an outpatient procedure, and treats the tumors with vascular embolization and radiation therapy.
• Radiation Physics Department with Virtual Simulation – develops three-dimensional pictures of tumors via ten-minute CAT scans to allow accurate treatment planning for radiation therapy.
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) - We have been performing SRS for small brain tumors for several years now using the TrueBeam Accelerator. We can combine CT and MRI scans to localize and treat multiple brain tumors all at once with a less-than 1 millimeter accuracy. The treatments are performed without a "halo" head immobilization system like some older systems.
• Respiratory Gated Treatments - The department has been using the only FDA-approved respiratory gating system in the area for many years to treat lung cancer patients. This type of gating system allows more accurate treatment of lung tumors while sparing a greater volume of normal lung, thereby reducing side effects. This same technology is now being used to treat patients with breast cancer, to both reduce the amount of lung and heart exposed to radiation during treatments.

For more information or to schedule a referral, please call 828.326.3856.