Radiation Oncology in Florida

About Radiation Therapy Services at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, uses carefully targeted and regulated doses of high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. More than half of all people with cancer are treated with some type of radiation therapy. Radiation therapy may be your only cancer treatment, or it may be used in conjunction with other cancer treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy.

Physician expertise and sophisticated treatment planning

Radiation therapy is provided through the Department of Radiation Oncology, which is accredited by the American College of Radiology and offers state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated, computer-simulated treatment planning. Department physicians specialize in specific cancers and body organs, keeping up with the latest research and developments in their fields. You benefit not only from this focused expertise, but also from the collective wisdom of all the department's staff members, who meet regularly to discuss and review your treatment plan. Radiation oncologists work closely with medical oncologists, surgeons and other physicians to coordinate your care. The department also offers access to dozens of clinical trials or experimental treatments coordinated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, the North Central Cancer Treatment Group, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, the Gynecologic Oncology Group and Mayo Foundation.

About radiotherapy treatment

The most common radiotherapy method is external radiation. This radiation is directed at a cancer from outside the body by a machine such as a linear accelerator. It allows your doctor to treat large and multiple areas of your body. Treatment is typically given on an outpatient basis five days a week for one to eight weeks. Patients are usually at the clinic for 30 minutes to an hour each day, although the treatment itself takes only 10 to 20 minutes. At Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, external radiation treatments include:

• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
• Stereotactic radiosurgery (Similar to the Gamma Knife, it's sometimes called "bloodless surgery.")
• Three-dimensional conformal treatment

Internal radiation, also known as brachytherapy (brak-e-THER-uh-pee), is typically used when your doctor needs to deliver a high dose of radiation to a small area. It may be helpful in treating cancers of the cervix, uterus, vagina, prostate and breast as well as some head and neck cancers. Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive materials — encased in wires, seeds or small rod implants — next to or inside a tumor.