RadOnc

9600-A Gross Point Road Skokie, IL 60076 --- 847-673-1338

Radiation Oncology

The needs of each patient are the center of our care-giving philosophy.


Radiation Therapist and Department Manager, Peter Jaffe, demonstrates positioning a patient for a radiation therapy treatment.

Dean Conterato, MD

Director

Radiation Oncology

What is Radiation Oncology? Radiation Oncology is a clinical specialty devoted specifically to the treatment of patients with cancer and some non-malignant conditions. It is a painless procedure that uses ionizing radiation from an X-ray source aimed very carefully to destroy tumor cells with minimum damage to healthy tissue. It is administered as a series of single treatments, sometimes in combination with surgery and chemotherapy treatments as prescribed by your doctor. Radiation Oncology involves the skills of physicians, physicists, radiation therapy technologists, nurses and many others in a coordinated program to stop the progress of cancer and improve the quality of our patient's health. The specific type of radiation therapy provided in our facilities will be determined by the type of cancer, its location, its extent, and the doctors who are taking care of you.

Location Our treatment center is easily accessible for every patient. Our scheduling policy is flexible to accommodate appointments from 7:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday. Complimentary parking is available just outside and access is easy. There are no curbs, stairs, or elevator rides between your car and our door.



Our Equipment We offer our patients the very latest and best equipment available in radiation therapy. To assure the most accurate planning possible, our treatment planning system is integrated with our dedicated PET/CT imaging machine and guided by imaging technology on the treatment machine. In addition to the standard external radiation treatments, the Varian treatment machine can deliver Intensity Modulated Radiation Treatments (IMRT) plus Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) technology to exclude more healthy tissue from treatment area. This is the most exciting development in radiation treatments because it automatically positions patients for optitmal delivery of radiation with extraordinary accuracy. It delivers computer-controlled, milimeter precision as it shapes the radiation to the exact contours of the targeted area using thousands of extremely thin focused beams of radiation. The combination of highly detailed planning with PET/CT along with IMRT and IGRT offers patients the opportunity for safer, more effective treatments with rerduced complications. This means fewer side effects from treatment and an increased chance of a favorable outcome.

Preparing For Your Visit There are usually no special preparations prior to a treatment visit.

When You Arrive Our new entrance is handicapped accessible, convenient, and well protected from bad weather. If you are riding with someone else, your driver can pull right up to this entrance. There is no curb on the walkway. Patients using canes, crutches, walkers, and wheelchairs will have a clear, level path to the door with no obstacles. If assistance is needed, help is available. Your driver can step inside and tell someone in the reception office that extra help is needed. One of our staff members will be happy to give assistance. For those driving their own cars, ample parking is available next to the entrance. The surface from your car door to our door is flat and free of obstacles. Once inside the corridor, you will find yourself in a hallway with clearly marked doors leading to the reception rooms. The first door leads to the Radiation Oncology reception area. Plan to arrive about 15 minutes before your appointment. This will allow time for paperwork at the reception desk and changing into a gown provided for your treatment. Once you have checked it, a member of our staff will meet you in the receiving room and guide you to the changing area. This person will inform you about your treatment and guide you through every step. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. Your clothing will be quite safe and your valuables can stay with you in the treatment room. If a relative or companion is with you, he or she can assist you with changing into the examination gown and dressing after treatment.

Your Treatment Experience Phases of Treatment 1. During your first visit, you will visit one of our Radiation Oncology Doctors for a treatment evaluation. The Doctor will review all of the information about your case with you and discuss the next steps in your treatment program. 2. The next step is treatment planning. This will involve a special CT exam to map the precise tumor location using 3-D imaging. The Doctor and his team of Radiation Therapy Specialists will use these images to build a computer model of your specific treatment plan. This will take about one hour.


3. The final preparation step will be your treatment plan verification. During this step we will match your treatment plan to your position on the treatment couch and make a series of markings on your skin to guide the treatment process during future visits. This normally takes about 30 minutes.

4. Your first treatment usually follows the plan verification making the total time of verification and treatment 45 minutes to one hour. After this, your treatment visits should take 15 to 30 minutes. Treatments are delivered by the radiation therapist precisely according to the doctor's prescription.

Andy W. Su, MD

Staff Physician

Radiation Oncology

Sandy Hayes

Radiation Therapist

Advance Practice Nurse, Donna Krickl, reviews an anatomical chart with receptionist Mary Ellen Sacketos representing a patient in a discussion about a treatment.