Radiation Oncology in La Crosse

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is life-altering and overwhelming for you and your loved ones. Our approach to cancer care at the Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Family Cancer and Blood Disorders Center ;in La Crosse, Wisconsin, integrates services to focus on you and those most important to you, not just your cancer diagnosis.

Mayo Clinic radiation oncology experts treat more than 7,000 people who have a wide variety of cancers each year. We've helped thousands, and we can help you. Radiation oncology experts in La Crosse collaborate with the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, bringing the knowledge of hundreds of cancer specialists to deliver an individualized treatment plan to ensure your best possible outcome and quality of life.

Find out more about our radiation oncology services:

• Treatment options
• Specialists and referrals
• What to expect

Treatment options

Radiation therapy uses carefully targeted doses of high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. When you're facing a cancer diagnosis, you want advanced technology on your side to treat your cancer while minimizing the dose of radiation to normal tissues. Our radiation oncology team collaborates closely with you and your care team to provide treatments tailored to your cancer.

Radiation treatments include:

• Dedicated CT simulator
  Using this technology, staff position patients on the CT scanner in the same position they'll be for treatment and perform a scan through the area being treated. Staff then reconstruct that scan three-dimensionally and develop a personalized treatment plan.
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
  IGRT planning begins by using imaging scans to help direct radiation beams to cancerous tumors with precision and accuracy. Each following treatment day, the radiation team images the target to ensure your exact positioning, radiation beams and target, which optimizes daily treatment and minimizes radiation doses to normal tissue.
• 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D CRT)
  In this type of treatment, a computer is used to create a 3D picture of the tumor to conform or match the radiation beam to the shape of the tumor. Multiple radiation beams are aimed at the tumor from different angles, sparing normal tissue as much as possible.
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
  IMRT is an advanced type of 3D radiation that adapts to the shape of a tumor. With IMRT, not only are beams aimed at the tumor from several directions, the intensity or strength of the beams can be adjusted to minimize the amount of radiation that reaches normal tissue.
• Linear Accelerator (LINAC)
  Providers use linear accelerator technology to deliver radiation during stereotactic treatments in the brain and other parts of the body to treat cancerous and noncancerous abnormalities in the brain and other parts of the body. These machines can perform stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in a single session or over three to five sessions for larger tumors, which is called fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy.
• RapidArc
  A major advance in radiation therapy, Rapid Arc uses an improved type of radiation dosing that ensures even greater precision in the delivery of radiation beams to further spare the normal, healthy tissue. Treatment times are two to eight times faster using this method, meaning each visit is much more efficient.
• Stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
  SBRT uses precisely focused radiation beams to treat specific tumors and other abnormal growths in the spine, liver, lung or other sites. It sometimes is called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, or SABR. When used on the brain, it often is called stereotactic radiosurgery, or SRS. Computers create 3D images to guide doctors in delivering radiation to the target area with minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. This type of treatment utilizes higher daily doses but a lower number of treatments, usually one to five sessions.

As part of our comprehensive cancer care approach, treatment options may include cancer clinical trials and seamless referral for technology available at Mayo Clinic, such as proton beam therapy.

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Specialists and referrals

All of our radiation oncologists is a member of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester. Each has specialized training in performing radiation treatment for people with cancer and those with certain noncancerous, or benign, conditions. This specialized expertise ensures we deliver the safest, most precise and effective therapy available. Services are integrated with our multidisciplinary cancer care team for seamless care.

Radiation oncology specialists include:

• Radiation oncologists
• Medical physicists
• Radiation therapists
• Dosimetrists
• Advance practice providers
• Registered nurses

Referrals

If you're a provider, you can refer patients to Radiation Oncology online, by phone or fax. We value the opportunity to collaborate with you on a treatment plan.

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What to expect

You will meet with a radiation oncologist for a consultation if radiation therapy is being considered as a potential treatment option for your cancer care plan. Together, we'll discuss side effects, risks and benefits to determine whether radiation therapy is right for you.

If you decide to proceed, we carefully plan your treatment, finding the exact spot on your body to ensure the right amount of radiation goes where it's needed. This is based on the kind of cancer you have, your general health and goals for your treatment. Planning is important to get the dose and focus of the radiation beams precise to preserve the healthy cells around the cancer.

Planning typically includes:

• Radiation simulation
  During simulation, your radiation therapy team will help you find a comfortable position as you must lie still during treatment. You'll practice on the same type of table that will be used during your treatment. Cushions and props will help hold you in the needed position, and you may be fitted for a body mold or mesh face mask to help keep you in place. Next, your radiation therapy team will mark the place on your body that will get the radiation. This might be done with a marker or with small permanent tattoos, depending on your situation.
• Planning scans
  CT scans or MRIs may be used to map your custom radiation plan. During these scans, you will lie in the treatment position wearing the mask or mold made for you.

Side effects

You may or may not have side effects from radiation therapy. It depends on which part of your body is getting the radiation and how much is used. We'll discuss potential side effects and how they can be controlled during treatment. After treatment, most side effects will go away.

Results

After radiation therapy, you might have imaging tests to see if the cancer is shrinking. The cancer sometimes responds to the treatment right away; other times, it may take weeks or months to see the treatment working.

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