Brachytherapy is a method of treatment in which sealed radioactive sources are used to deliver radiation into or near the tumor. With this method of treatment, a high radiation dose can be delivered locally to the tumor with little effect to the surrounding normal tissue. This treatment may also be called internal radiation therapy. The source of radiation may be temporary or permanent. The most common uses of brachytherapy are the seed implants for prostate cancer, cervical cancer, and certain head and neck cancers.

For more information about Brachytherapy Implants, contact the Baptist Cancer Institute at (850) 469-2222.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), a form of external radiation, is a sophisticated treatment which allows doctors to target tumors with a concentrated dose of high energy rays tailored to the precise size, shape and depth of the tumor. Radiation oncologists at the Kugelman Cancer Center were the first in Northwest Florida to offer IMRT. It is available at the Kugelman Cancer Center at Baptist Hospital and the Gulf Breeze Oncology Center at Gulf Breeze Hospital... learn more here.

Watch the IMRT HealthSource Video - click here

For the first time in Northwest Florida, radiation oncologists can circumvent a problem that has long complicated the treatment of cancer. Baptist Hospitals fully robotic, on-board imaging system allows therapeutic radiation to be delivered precisely to the targeted tumor regardless of whether the tumor's location has shifted.

This image-guided radiation therapy or IGRT enables the use of higher, more effective doses of radiation because there is far less risk that the radiation will damage nearby healthy tissue... learn more here.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a one-day, single treatment, outpatient procedure that delivers a focused dose of radiation to the target. With this treatment, the lesion location is determined by MRI scans and /or CT scans, a 3-D treatment plan is established, and then multiple precisely-guided radiation beams from the LINAC equipment treat the tumor in a single treatment.

A SRS procedure is completed in a few hours and actual dose administration time is typically less than 45 minutes. Currently, SRS is appropriate for a variety of malignant and benign brain tumors as well as other brain disorders. When this same equipment and process is used to deliver a similarly accurate treatment in multiple fractions over several days it is called Stereotactic Radiotherapy.

For more information about Stereotactic RadioSurgery, contact the Baptist Cancer Institute at (850) 469-2222.

Bexxar, a radioactive drug given internally, has been shown to be an effective treatment for certain cases of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Only a few radiation treatment centers in the state of Florida have met the rigorous licensing requirements for delivery of this therapy. In fact, the first two patients in the state to receive this therapy were treated at the Baptist Cancer Institute.