Radiation Oncology Center

The Radiation Oncology Center (ROC) at Elkhart General Hospital offers an innovative program for patients undergoing radiation treatments. Cancer patients and their families rely on surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy which are the three primary forms of cancer treatment. Radiation therapy may be used alone or in combination with surgery or chemotherapy almost anywhere within the body.

Radiation therapy uses a type of energy called “ionizing radiation” to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.  It injures or destroys cancer cells in the treatment area being “targeted,” making it impossible for the cancer cells to continue to grow. Although radiation damages both cancer cells and normal cells, most normal cells recover from the effects of radiation and continue to function properly. The goal of radiation therapy is to seriously damage as many cancer cells as possible while limiting harm to nearby healthy tissue. 

Our Radiation Oncology Center is located on the Lower Level adjacent to the Courtyard. It has doubled in size in recent years, adding some of the most advanced radiation equipment available, and has initiated new, innovative therapies. The ROC is flexible with appointment times, allowing the patient to continue as normal a personal schedule as possible while going through their radiation treatments.

Our Technology

At the heart of our Center are two linear accelerators: the newest being the Varian 23EX. Situated in two separate areas, the accelerators create the radiation, called “external beam,” that kills cancer cells.

The Varian accelerator supports one of the most important new treatments, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which has been called the most significant advance in this specialty in the last 30 years. IMRT involves the use of computers to optimize delivery of the radiation.

Five new Varian Eclipse treatment planning computer workstations are situated in the Dosimetry Room. Medical Dosimetrists are specially trained medical professionals who plan and calculate radiation treatment doses.

Another important new tool for diagnostic and treatment planning purposes is the General Electric Light Speed Large-Bore Computerized Tomography Simulator.

Accreditation

The ROC is accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and by the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) and follows their strict models for quality assurance.

 

 

For more information

If you are unable to find the information that you are looking for, please contact us. We believe that information is power and it is our mission to provide you with the tools for empowerment. The Radiation Oncology Center can be found by taking Elevator F to the Lower Level.

Elkhart General Hospital Center for Cancer Services
600 East Boulevard
Elkhart, IN 46514
(800) 643-5719

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