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Radiation Oncology in Chattanooga

At least half of all cancer patients will receive some form of radiation therapy on their road to recovery. Radiation oncologists at Parkridge are fighting cancer together with Sarah Cannon in Chattanooga.

How We Treat Cancer

We have two high-energy linear accelerators that use x-rays and electrons to kill cancer cells. Each of these units is equipped with a Multi-Leaf Collimator (MLC) system that allows the radiation to target tumor cells while protecting the patient's normal tissue. The linear accelerators are used in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a highly precise form of treatment that can be used to target prostate, breast, pancreatic and gynecologic tumors.

Improving Radiation Therapy

Our hospital is equipped with the tools to give cancer patients a more convenient and comfortable experience during radiation treatment.

In order to deliver more accurate treatments and reduce dose to the normal tissue, we use Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) with the BrainLab Exactrac system. This allows daily adjustments to be made to patient setup to ensure the most accurate treatment delivery.

Patients that have been diagnosed with brain tumors can now receive stereotactic radiosurgery right here in Chattanooga. This treatment allows high doses of radiation to be delivered without the need for surgical intervention.

Reducing Radiation Exposure

For certain types of breast, skin or gynecologic cancer, we use the Xoft Axxent High Dose Rate electronic brachytherapy, a lower-radiation treatment. Xoft brachytherapy allows a medical provider to be in the room with a patient during treatment to comfort patients. This device can also be wheeled into an operating room to provide a full course of radiation therapy at the same time as a surgical procedure. This Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) capability allows some patients to receive their entire cancer treatment in as little as one day.

Planning Cancer Treatment

Most patients never get an opportunity to see how their treatment plan is derived. This process requires advanced computers and planning systems to compute the proper dose to deliver while reducing the dose to critical structures. Our Cancer Center utilizes the Philips ADAC treatment planning system which allows our staff to view full CT data sets, fuse images with other modalities as well as calculate complex IMRT plans. With the latest software releases, Sarah Cannon ensures that our patients will be treated with the most up to date technology in order to receive the best possible outcome.

Any managing physician or his/her staff may refer and/or set up patient appointments. Patients already diagnosed with cancer who would like a second opinion may call us for an appointment at, (423) 493-1690.