The Radiation Oncology department provides comprehensive services for our cancer patients in collaboration with other members of the patient’s treatment team. Services offered include:

A multidisciplinary team including physicists, dosimetrists, engineers, radiation therapists, nurses, social workers, dietitians, data management staff and clerical staff work with Radiation Oncology physicians to develop an optimal individually-tailored treatment plan for each patient. This team meets regularly and has active programs in quality improvement, peer review, new patient management and patient satisfaction.

We have increased a number of offerings for patients with prostate cancer through the development of our High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy program.

 

This “temporary” seed implant program serves as an alternative to permanent seed implants in selected patients whose glands are too large for seed implantation or for whom seed implantation is not appropriate.

 

Temporary High-Dose Rate brachytherapy seed implant includes the operative placement of catheters into the prostate through the perineal template, the utilization of CT Imaging to develop an optimized treatment plan, and two 15-30 minute treatment applications utilizing a high activity iridium 192 seed in the catheters to deliver a homogeneous dose to the target area. Patients remain in he hospital for two days for this treatment, which is generally followed by five weeks of external irradiation to the prostate and surrounding tissues.

 

The Hartford Hospital Radiation Oncology Department is accredited by the American College of Radiology for Radiation Oncology.