CAROLINA REGIONAL CANCER CENTER ANNOUNCES PILOT PROGRAM FOR ADAPTIVE TREATMENT PLANNING TO FURTHER EXPAND THE BENEFITS OF ITS TOMOTHERAPY HI•ART TREATMENT SYSTEM

Carolina Regional Cancer Center (CRCC), an affiliate of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, has initiated a Pilot Program to study the benefits of Adaptive Treatment Planning utilizing the TomoTherapy® Hi•Art® Treatment System, one of the most effective forms of radiation treatment available.  Adaptive tr... [read more]

CAROLINA REGIONAL CANCER CENTER WELCOMES NEWS AS AFFILIATE, MUSC HOLLINGS CANCER CENTER, RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION BY NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

Carolina Regional Cancer Center (CRCC), affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center (HCC), announced today that HCC recently received designation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as one of the top cancer research centers in the country. HCC is one of only 64 other can... [read more]

Breast Cancer What to Expect

Once a woman has decided to undergo radiation the 1^st step in the treatment is a planning session or “simulation”.  The procedure takes about 45 minutes; the patient is placed on a special apparatus, which allows her to place her arms up over her head and grab handles to keep her arms out of the way of the radiation beam.   A CT scan is then performed in the treatment position after which time multiple marks will be placed to allow reproducible set-up of the patient on a daily basis.  After this planning session a couple of “practice sessions” will be done where x-rays are taken.  The doctor reviews all this information to make sure of the accuracy before your treatment actually begins. 

Once breast radiation begins it is an outpatient procedure.  Most patients are treated on their back with the arms over the heads.  Some patients may be treated on their belly.  A typical treatment can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on whether the regional lymph nodes need to be treated.  There is some set-up time that is required to get women in just the right position every day.  The patient cannot feel the treatment, cannot see anything happening, and only hears the machine turn on and off. Once the treatment is completed, the patient may dress and leave the center.

Typical breast radiation is for approximately 6 weeks of treatment.  The entire breast is treated for 4 ½ to 5 weeks and the tumor bed is then treated for an additional 1 to 1 ½ weeks. 

Follow Up Care

Your radiation oncologist will work closely with the other doctors involved in you care to ensure you are being adequately followed after your treatment is complete.  After radiation is complete a follow-up appointment will be made to monitor that you are healing properly from your radiation.  You will also be referred back to the other doctors involved in your care.  Routine follow-up during the first couple of years after diagnosis is every 3-month physical exam and imaging of the treated breast every 6 months and the other breast once a year.  As you get further from your diagnosis the time between follow-ups will be lengthened.