Treatment > Radiation Oncology

Radiation Oncology

Greenwich Hospital has been a longtime pioneer in radiation therapy under the leadership of Daniel Fass, MD, director of radiation oncology at the Bendheim Cancer Center. More than half of all people with cancer have radiation treatment at some point, either alone or in combination with surgery and medications.

Advances in radiation therapy include three-dimensional treatment planning and other technology that allows physicians to target higher doses of radiation directly at the tumor, sparing healthy tissue and minimizing side effects. Cancer experts use three-dimensional, computer generated images and other radiological tools to develop individualized treatment plans based on the size, shape, location and stage of the tumor.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) uses small beams to attack a tumor from different directions and with varying intensity, while minimizing the dose to healthy tissue. Brachytherapy involves surgically placing radioactive seed implants directly into the tumor using ultrasound guidance. Stereotactic radiosurgery, available at only several hundred hospitals worldwide, treats parts of the brain where surgery would be difficult.

Besides the radiation oncologist, the interdisciplinary team includes specially trained nurses, radiation technologists, physicists, counselors and others committed to ensuring patients receive the safest and highest caliber of cancer treatment available.