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Radiation oncology is the highly specialized branch of medicine
that involves the diagnosis and treatment of cancer using radiation
in the form of high-energy rays or particles.
When radiation is delivered in high doses utilizing state-of-the-art
technology, it is called radiation therapy or radiotherapy, which
can originate from outside the body (external radiation) or from
radioactive materials placed directly in the tumor (internal or
implant radiation).
Radiation therapy is an effective way to treat many kinds of cancer
in nearly any part of the body either as a sole treatment modality
or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy.
The Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center continues
to break barriers in cancer care through its state-of-the-art
Institute for Advanced Radiation Oncology, including its Neuroscience
Institute.
As the region’s pioneer in delivering leading-edge cancer
care, the institute continues to gain international, national and
state recognition for its clinical application and research of
breakthrough methods of radiation therapy.
These achievements have earned Monmouth Medical Center the distinction
of becoming the first hospital in Monmouth County to earn accreditation
from the American
College of Radiation Oncology for the quality, safety and appropriateness
of its radiation therapy.
Monmouth’s Institute for Advanced Radiation Oncology is
actively involved in numerous research studies primarily as an
affiliate of the Philadelphia-based Fox
Chase Cancer Center for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and
in spearheading its own clinical
research initiatives. These national clinical trials are investigating
a full spectrum of radiation therapies, as well as identifying
ways to reduce the side effects of treatment.
Monmouth Medical Center’s long-held prominence in radiotherapy
took root in 1967 when it acquires a high-energy, 6 million volt
linear accelerator for the treatment
of cancer. At the time, it was only the 30th machine of its
kind in the world and the first in New Jersey representing Monmouth’s
first step in establishing what would become the renowned Institute
for Advanced Radiation Oncology.
Additional information on radiation oncology is available from
the National Cancer
Institute, National
Comprehensive Cancer Network, American
Cancer Society, American
Society of Clinical Oncology, American
Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Eastern
Cooperative Oncology Group, Radiation
Therapy Oncology Group and Southwest
Oncology Group.
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