GRAND LAKE
REGIONAL CANCER CENTER
RADIATION ONCOLOGY SERVICES
Radiation oncology services at Grand Lake Regional Cancer Center are provided by Toledo Radiation Oncology:
• Wayne Court, PhD, MD, FACRO, Medical Director
• Heather Kaiser, MD
• Sandra Herrington, PhD, MD
• Faheem Ahmad, MD
• James Fugazzi, MD
• Gerald Marsa, MD, FACR
• Roger Kucway, MD
• Steven Zeidner, MD, FACR, FASTRO
PATIENT CONSULTATION
Your first appointment, called a ‘consultation’, will be initiated by a referral from your medical oncologist, surgeon, or other physician directly involved in your cancer diagnosis and treatment. During the first visit, you will meet with the Radiation Oncology physician, who will review your records, examine you, and then discuss with you what role radiation can provide in the treatment of your cancer. You can expect to spend between 1-2 hours for this visit.
Click HERE to download registration and medical history forms to complete and bring to your consultation appointment or fax to 419.919.2102.
Insurance: We accept a variety of insurances including Medicare, Medicaid, and most local employer’s insurance carriers. As a service, we verify your insurance coverage and benefits. For questions about your particular insurance, please call the Cancer Network Accounts Coordinator at 419-584-1900.
CT SIMULATION (treatment set-up/planning)
Before your treatment is started, it must be planned. Treatment planning includes a ‘simulation’ or mock-up of the treatment field, using a CT scanner located in the Radiation Oncology department. Special marks will be put on your skin in order to be able to set up your treatment once it is ready to begin. The CT images are used to determine the best possible plan that wil deliver the highest dose to the tumor area, while avoiding as much healthy tissue as possible. This is an extremely important and complex part of the planning process and requires a sophisticated computer to calculate the dose. You can expect to spend between 1-2 hours for this visit.
RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS
Treatments are given with a Linear Accelerator, which generates and delivers high energy x-rays that kill cancer cells. There are several options for treatment, and the Radiation Oncologist will determine which you will receive based on your individual treatment plan. Since each treatment plan is individualized, not every patient has the same treatment even if they have the same type of cancer. You can expect to spend between 15-30 minutes each day for treatment and you will see the Radiation Oncology physician weekly.
Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT):
Irregularly shaped tumors are targeted using CT and/or MRI scans to create a 3-D computer picture of the tumor target in order to determine the approach and shape of the radiation field.Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): A specialized form of 3D-CRT allows for even more precise shaping of the radiation field by breaking up the radiation beam into smaller parts, and varies the intensity of the radiation beam, which allows for delivery of higher doses to tumors and/or further limits the dose to healthy tissue.
AFTER RADIATION FOLLOW-UP CARE
After your treatments are completed, your Radiation Oncologist will want to see you for follow-up appointments for a period of time. The Radiation Oncologist will monitor you for any side effects that can sometimes occur long after treatment is finished and your Radiation Oncologist will also assess how you are progressing after treatments. The Radiation Oncologist will provide reports to your referring physician and any other physician that you wish to receive correspondence regarding your care.
