The Radiation Oncology Department at South Miami Hospital offers consultation, evaluation and treatment for a wide variety of cancers. Staff members include radiation oncologists, nurses, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, physicists, social workers and dietitians.
(Pictured: Radiation oncologists Steven Olszewski, M.D., and Maria-Amelia Rodrigues, M.D.)
Radiation therapy uses a powerful linear accelerator to kill cancer cells in the tumor and surrounding tissue. Radiation oncology services at South Miami Hospital include a complete range of treatment options:
- Conformal radiation therapy. By using a CT scanner for three-dimensional planning, doctors are able to target a cancer with very high doses of radiation therapy, while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy. Computerized controlled X-ray beams are precisely shaped to match the tumor and attack it from various angles. This precision means more tumors are destroyed, there are fewer side effects, and the odds of beating cancer are improved.
- TomoTherapy. TomoTherapy combines IMRT with the imaging of computed tomography (CT) in one unit. This means convenient treatment planning for the patient, as well as more precise radiation delivery.
- Brachytherapy. Using a narrow tube, physicians can place a cancer-killing radioactive material inside the body, as close to the cancer site as possible. Advances in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy make it possible to deliver intense levels of radiation to the cancer site. In certain patients with breast cancer, the HDR brachytherapy can be delivered in a much shorter course of treatment than standard radiation therapy.
- Radioactive "seed" implants. In this outpatient procedure, tiny radioactive seeds are implanted in the prostate to fight cancer as an alternative to prostate surgery. Seed implants may be used to treat other types of cancer as well.
For more information on the Radiation Oncology Department at South Miami Hospital, call 786-662-5333; or toll-free at 1-866-350-5588; or send an e-mail to anim@baptisthealth.net.