COMPREHENSIVE RADIATION SERVICES

When cancer is diagnosed, it may be treated in a variety of ways, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other complementary therapies. At Boulder Cancer Care, advanced forms of radiation treatments are coupled with highly skilled physicians to create an environment that offers physicians and patients an optimal radiation experience.

Radiation is used in the treatment of cancer and is the process whereby it interferes with genetic material in cells as they grow and divide. Radiation is sometimes used to shrink a tumor prior to surgery, to destroy remaining cancer cells after surgery, in conjunction with other treatments such as chemotherapy, and in the advanced stages of cancer to alleviate symptoms. The type of radiation treatment used depends on a variety of factors including age, co-morbidities, location, size and type of tumor, etc. The dose of radiation delivered in each treatment is moderated in order to prevent damage as much as possible to surrounding healthy tissues.

In the past, physicians were limited by the radiation dose that could be applied to a tumor site due to the tolerance and sensitivity of surrounding healthy tissues. However, with the advanced technologies at Boulder Cancer Care, physicians are now able to offer many options for patients that provide better tumor control, less damage to healthy tissues and improved quality of life for the patient.