Radiation Oncology Center

Today, more than half of all cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy. At Lankenau Medical Center, radiation oncologists use the latest technology to locate and more precisely target tumors, shorten treatment times and minimize side effects. The result is a more aggressive approach to cancer treatment with improved quality of life.

The Lankenau Radiation Oncology Center offers all of the following capabilities:

• TrueBeam™ STx  Linear Accelerator - Lankenau is the only hospital in the region to offer the most sophisticated and comprehensive cancer treatment technology in the field today.

• Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) – Offered at only a limited number of hospitals in the area, this technique is designed to deliver radiation therapy with incredible precision to tumors anywhere in the body in five or less treatments.  SBRT incorporates new technologies such as variable dose rate and real time tracking to achieve the accuracy needed to deliver this treatment.

  This technology can deliver radiation with millimeter precision. Tumors are tracked in real-time DURING the delivery of radiation, so that any movement of a tumor or patient – even by the smallest amount – can be detected and robotically adjusted for. This technique allows for higher doses of radiation to be administered only to cancerous cells and not to the surrounding healthy tissue.

  Stereotactic radiation treatments that could take 45 minutes or longer using other radiation therapy units can now be delivered in a fraction of that time. In addition, patients require fewer treatments due to the more precise and higher doses of radiation. The majority of prostate cancers can now be treated in just five visits, as opposed to the traditional 40. Fewer treatments and less time in the department are more convenient for the patient. This technology can also be used in lung, bone, and pancreatic cancers as well as cancer recurrences or previously irradiated tumors.

• Stereotactic Radio-Surgery (SRS) – This therapy delivers a single, high dose of radiation to a precise area of the brain for the treatment of brain tumors and metastases.

• Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) – This computer-driven technology allows for precision and accuracy of radiation delivery, which protects surrounding organs and tissues from radiation exposure.

• Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) – A fully robotic on-board imaging system that allows for pretreatment tumor position verification in the body in one of three ways — cone beam CT, x-ray, fluoroscopy.

• BrainLab® Patient Monitoring System - This system enables real time internal tracking of the tumor while simultaneously monitoring the patient’s position during the entire treatment procedure enabling accuracy to within 0.3 mm.  If movement occurs the machine shuts down and the patient is re-positioned.   

• RapidArc™ Radiotherapy Technology – This technique increases the accuracy of targeted radiation which allows for faster treatment times and minimizes the chance of adversely affecting healthy tissue.

• Respiratory Gating Technology – Offered at only a limited number of hospitals in the region, this technique synchronizes the delivery of radiation with a patient's own breathing cycle.  The tumor can then be tracked in real time and targeted with a high dose of radiation while sparing more healthy tissue. This technology can be used for lung, breast, and liver tumors.

• High-Dose-Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy - An internal therapy that delivers high doses of radiation from sources placed close to, or inside, the tumors in the body. This technique ensures the maximum radiation dose is given to cancerous tissues, while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.  Lankenau is a national leader in vaginal cuff brachytherapy with one of the most comprehensive gynecological programs in the region.  Cancers of the bronchus, endometrium, cervix, and breast utilize this technique. 

• Partial Breast Irradiation – Radiation is delivered specifically to the area of the breast that contains or contained the tumor instead of to the whole breast. Lankenau is one of the most experienced programs that perform this technique.  We were the first in the region to utilize Mammosite® Targeted Radiation Therapy (HDR) – following lumpectomies for breast cancer.

• Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy – A method of treatment utilizing a cylinder which is inserted into the vagina.  This is standard of care for patients with endometrial cancer.  This technique significantly limits radiation dose to the bladder and rectum.  Lankenau has one of the largest experiences in the country as part of a comprehensive gynecology program

• Hyperthermia – Lankenau became the second hospital in the Philadelphia region and only the 17th nationwide to acquire the BSD 500 hyperthermia system for heat therapy. Clinical trials have shown that heat therapy can improve patient outcomes when used in combination with radiation or chemotherapy. Lankenau is still one of only three centers in the region with this capability.

The Lankenau Radiation Oncology Center combines the level of care only offered at an academic medical center, along with unsurpassed patient advocacy and support.

Our board-certified physicians lead a team of board-certified physicists, oncology-certified nurses, certified medical dosimetrists and registered radiation therapists. We also offer access to social workers, lymphedema specialists and registered dietitians.

To schedule an appointment at the Lankenau Radiation Oncology Center call 484.476.2433 or fill out the online appointment request form.