Radiation Oncology
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PDF versionIntroducing RapidArc Radiation Therapy
Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare and 21st Century Oncology is the Mohawk Valley's first radiation oncology center to offer RapidArc radiation technology.
This breakthrough cancer treatment delivers precise tumor-destroying radiation, takes a matter of minutes and is pain free.
"Many patients who have radiation therapy come to the Cancer Center on a daily basis for treatment. Our goal is to always provide our patients with state of the art, personalized cancer care, close to home. RapidArc delivers a precise beam to the treatment area eight times faster than treatments used in the past. That's important to our patients and to us, their cancer treatment team."
John Vakios, MD, Radiation Oncologist
Call Us Today.
Our Cancer Center team would love to talk to you about your cancer treatment options. Call (315) 624-5300 to talk to a member of our team.
Radiation uses powerful rays of energy targeted directly at a tumor. It is a non-invasive treatment that focuses on destroying cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Because of this, tumors shrink with few side effects.
Here are a few things to understand about radiation. It doesn’t hurt. You can’t smell it, taste it, hear it or feel it. Radiation is a gamma wave, with a deeper energy than an x-ray, but you don’t need to hold your breath during your treatment. You do not carry any radioactive materials away with you. And there’s no danger to children or pregnant women that you come in contact with.
How often are my treatments?
You come to the cancer center every day, five days a week for a number of weeks. Treatments usually take about fifteen minutes. Every year, we give thousands of treatments in our Utica and Rome locations. The location you go to is determined by your physician. If you have a problem with transportation and meet certain criteria, we have vans to get you to your treatments.
What if I need help coping?
The Radiation Oncology team understands how difficult a cancer diagnosis is for you and your family. We also know that your physical and emotional well-being can affect your treatment. That’s why we offer on-site nutritional, psychological, and spiritual counseling. And we have financial advisors available so that you can concentrate on your treatment, not on your bank account.
Who will be taking care of me?
From your first appointment to your last, you’ll have exceptional care throughout your course of treatment. You’ll get to know the people on your team including:
- Radiation oncologists
- Physicians
- Oncology certified nurses
- Radiation therapists
- Dosimitrists
- Support staff
