Radiation
Our patients receive the most effective radiation therapy available. The linear accelerator delivers the daily treatments, using two photon beam energies and five electron beam energies. The photon energies treat lung, prostate and other deep-seated cancers. The range of electron energies address more superficial tumors from skin lesions to boosting the site of a breast lumpectomy.

Another advanced radiation treatment modality available at SRMC Cancer Center is the Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). Sumner Regional is one of only approximately 300 facilities in the nation using this sophisticated modality. IMRT can “sculpt” the radiation dose to a patient’s tumor far more precisely than any other radiation treatment modality, thereby sparing adjacent critical organs and allowing higher tumor doses, which promise better tumor control. IMRT is well suited for treatment of the prostate, head and neck, primary brain tumors, along with other sites. IMRT requires state-of-the-art computerized treatment planning and treatment delivery systems, and a staff with the unique skills, training and talents to accurately plan, confirm and deliver this new dynamic treatment modality.

The Cancer Center is also one of only 150 facilities nationwide to use B-mode Acquisition and Targeting Ultrasound System (BAT) along with radiation therapy to treat cancers in areas such as the prostate, breast, head and neck, bladder and pancreas. The BAT system is an ultrasound-based, targeting technology that pinpoints a tumors exact location, prior to the delivery of radiation therapy. With the high precision required for 3-D CRT (conformal radiation therapy) or IMRT, any minor amount of motion can render an exact treatment plan invalid. Daily motion of targeted internal organs can cause some misalignment. The BAT System allows rapid and precise positioning of the patient to accommodate the planned treatment volume with respect to the real-time image.

Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, brachytherapy or other medicines. The Sumner Cancer Center offers brachytherapy, which involves implanting tiny radioactive “seeds” in tumors, such as prostate cancers. These “seeds” give a high dose of radiation to the tumor while protecting the surrounding healthy tissue.

Chemotherapy
The field of medical oncology has changed dramatically over the last several years. Advances in certain oncology drugs work to seek out the tumor itself and make it possible to deliver doses to target cancer cells. It is very common for a medical oncologist to prescribe a combination of radiation and chemotherapy, because while chemotherapy and radiation therapy both eradicate cancer cells independently, chemotherapy also enhances the work of radiation treatment. Chemotherapy has also been refined over the years, and with new preparations the patient does not experience the intense nausea and side effects as before. SRMC offers chemotherapy through the Tennessee Oncology Group - middle Tennessee’s largest Oncology group, which is located at 300 Steam Plant Road, in SRMC’s Medical Plaza (615) 451-5481.