The USC Radiation Oncology program offers a broad spectrum of radiotherapy care to patients with cancer, including:

External Beam Radiotherapy

This is the most common form of radiotherapy, where an external source is pointed at a particular part of the body. The radiation interacts with the tissues and is absorbed, damaging the DNA of the cell. We use an advanced Varian linear accelerator to deliver external beam radiotherapy.

3D Conformal Radiotherapy

This technique uses three-dimensional tracking technology to permit the radiation oncologist to shape and deliver the high-energy beam to the tumor while also protecting normal tissues. The result is the ability to deliver relatively larger doses of radiation to the tumor while sparing healthy tissue.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery uses information obtained from CT scans, MRI scans and/or angiograms to localize the area to be treated. The system uses a linear accelerator to deliver a high dose radiation in these carefully targeted paths, focused at the site of the cancer, while avoiding significant radiation to the surrounding tissue.

CyberKnife

The CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System is a non-invasive radiosurgery device that can help treat tumors and other lesions by delivering multiple beams of high intensity radiation that converge upon the tumor while minimizing injury to surrounding healthy tissue.

Gamma Knife

Not actually a knife per se, the Gamma Knife is a radiation tool that treats brain tumors without an incision and with minimal effects on surrounding healthy tissue.

Clinical Brachytherapy

This approach involves the use of radioactive sources placed within the body. The advantage is that high doses of radiotherapy can be delivered to a small volume with minimal exposure to surrounding organs.

MammoSite Radiation Therapy

Many women with early-stage breast cancer are treated with breast conservation therapy and lumpectomy. The lumpectomy is generally followed by seven weeks of whole breast external beam radiation therapy. However, some patients find it difficult to complete almost two months of radiation therapy. The MammoSite Radiation Therapy System is a method of partial breast irradiation that works by delivering radiation from inside the breast to the tissue where cancer is most likely to recur. Radiation therapy with MammoSite can usually be completed in five days. This treatment is provided on an outpatient basis.

Clinical Hyperthermia

Heat delivered at 43º-45º C (109.4º-113º F) may improve the probability of local tumor control. At USC/Norris, clinical hyperthermia can be used as in addition to external beam radiotherapy for the management of difficult, persistent and/or recurrent cancers resistant to radiation alone.

Episcleral Eye Plaque Brachytherapy

At one time, the only form of treatment for ophthalmic tumors was the removal of the eye. Episcleral plaque therapy is an eye-conserving procedure in which a small metallic "plaque" containing sealed radioactive sources is temporarily placed on the eye adjacent to the tumor.