Las Vegas, NV (702) 243-3340 Radiation Therapy for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors
Being diagnosed with a brain or spine tumor is overwhelming. Thankfully, there are treatment options available that can help. At Oncology Las Vegas, we specialize in radiation therapy for brain tumors and radiation therapy for spine tumors to help improve our patients’ control of their tumors and quality of life.
Radiation therapy for brain tumors and spine tumors is highly effective. Using advanced technology, we are able to administer radiation treatments with greater precision and accuracy than ever before, targeting tumors while sparing as much surrounding healthy tissue as possible with real-time adjustments of the treatment to account for motion or other changes of the tumor or normal tissues.
How Radiation Therapy for Brain Tumors Works
High doses of radiation kill cancer cells or significantly slow their growth. When cancer cells receive enough damage, they lose their ability to divide, resulting in cell death. Once the cancerous cells die, the body removes them. It can take days or weeks of receiving radiation treatments for cancer cells to be damaged beyond repair and die. The exact number of treatments will vary based on the type of tumor, its size and location, the patient’s age and history, and other factors that your radiation oncologist will assess.
In some cases, radiation treatments may completely destroy a tumor and leave a patient cancer-free. In other cases where a tumor is not “curable,” receiving radiation therapy may still prolong life while shrinking the tumor and easing related symptoms so that patients can experience a better quality of life.
What to Expect from Radiation Therapy
The process of beginning radiation therapy for spine tumors or brain tumors is very similar. For both types of tumors, treatment begins with a planning session also called a CT-simulation or CT-mapping session. During the planning session, a CT will pinpoint the exact location of the tumor and map out its shape and size.
Our radiation oncologists work with medical dosimetrists and physicists to use these detailed images to create a treatment plan tailored to the size, shape, and location of the tumor. This meticulous planning is critical to delivering effective treatment for tumors while preserving healthy tissue.
Receiving radiation treatments is painless and the process takes only a few minutes. Setting up the machine and adjusting it to the exact specifications for treatment may take longer than receiving the actual treatment.
Brain Tumor vs. Spinal Tumor Treatment
Patients receiving radiation therapy for brain tumors may undergo only a single treatment or several weeks of treatment depending on their cancer type. Side effects can include fatigue and hair loss or skin changes in the treated area, but these side effects usually subside after treatment is finished.
Radiation therapy for spinal tumors is logistically very similar to treatments for brain tumors,. Patients may experience side effects like fatigue, skin changes at the site of treatment, and other changes related to the spine level involved. These side effects are usually temporary and go away shortly after treatment ends.
Why Choose Oncology Las Vegas for Radiation Oncology
When it comes to treating cancer, time is of the essence. As a specialty clinic, we are available to see patients for assessment and evaluation quickly so they can start receiving radiation therapy treatments as soon as possible. Our caring staff is here to support patients of every age on every step of their treatment journey. We aim to give our patients the effective care they need, and the compassionate care they deserve.
