Need Immediate Care?
For emergency services, call 911.
For non-emergency walk-in care, try an ExpressCARE location.
Need help scheduling or have a question?
Call 888-402-LVHN (5846).
Need Immediate Care?
For emergency services, call 911.
For non-emergency walk-in care, try an ExpressCARE location.
Need help scheduling or have a question?
Call 888-402-LVHN (5846).
Need Immediate Care?
For emergency services, call 911.
For non-emergency walk-in care, try an ExpressCARE location.
Need help scheduling or have a question?
Call 888-402-LVHN (5846).
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When you come to the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute for radiation therapy, you can feel confident you are receiving the highest level of care. We have maintained accreditation by the American College of Radiology® (ACR) for several years running. The ACR seal of accreditation means we maintain the highest standards for safe, effective radiation therapy.
You receive care from doctors (radiation oncologists) who specialize in using radiation therapy to treat cancer. Many of our radiation oncology experts completed training in the nation’s top medical education programs. All our radiation oncologists are board-certified, meaning they passed a rigorous exam after completing medical school.
Other highlights of radiation therapy at the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute include:
We use radiation therapy technologies that allow us to accurately pinpoint the cancer while avoiding nearby healthy tissue. Technologies such as the Varian Edge® radiosurgery system used for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) make it possible to complete treatment in fewer, shorter sessions – so you can recover faster.
SIR-Spheres® Y-90 resin microspheres are a medical device used in Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) for liver tumors. SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres are a permanent implant and for single use only. The biocompatible resin microspheres containing yttrium-90 have a median diameter of 32.5 microns (range between 20 and 60 microns).
When new radiation therapy technologies become available, you’ll often find them at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute.
Gamma Knife: We were the first cancer center in the region offering Gamma Knife® Icon™ stereotactic radiation for brain tumors in hard-to-reach areas. Learn more about radiation therapy treatment options at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute.
3D-printed boluses: We’re one of a few locations in the U.S., and the only in this region, using groundbreaking 3D printer technology to create customized boluses for radiation oncology patients. A bolus is used to help direct radiation to the skin’s surface and to the appropriate depth. This helps ensure the right dose is targeted to the right area and protects healthy tissue from radiation. Using a 3D printer and FDA-approved software, a bolus can be made to the exact shape needed, such as around a patient’s ear, nose or other location on the body.
For cancer of the left breast, we have the ability to use the prone (face-down) technique when appropriate to protect healthy tissues from the path of the radiation beam. This position allows the breast to hang away from the body. In doing so, the treatment field is away from other healthy tissue.
We help you avoid complications that could affect your daily life. For example, we use SpaceOAR® hydrogel to protect a man’s rectum during prostate cancer treatment. SpaceOAR preserves the ability to have normal bowel movements after completing radiation therapy.
You meet with one of our radiation oncologists where we discuss how radiation therapy can help you and which options are best for your needs.
Before starting treatment, you undergo imaging tests to pinpoint the precise location of the tumor. We also perform a practice session to make sure the radiation beams align with the location of the cancer during treatment.
How often you need treatment and how long radiation therapy sessions last depend on the type of radiation therapy you are receiving. We let you know what to expect and answer any questions you may have.
We continue seeing you throughout your cancer care journey as needed. Your care may include periodic imaging tests to make sure radiation therapy is working as it should.
We’re here to help you receive your radiation treatments comfortably and confidently. Watch our video to learn more about the radiation oncology patient journey at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute.
Learn moreOur offerings help you receive the treatments that meet your medical needs while helping you live a good quality of life. Your care may include:
We use Gamma Knife® Icon™ technology to deliver large doses of radiation with a high degree of accuracy. With Gamma Knife Icon, you may only need one treatment – as opposed to daily treatments over a period of weeks – so you can get back to your daily routine faster.
We offer Varian Edge® radiosurgery system for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) at Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono and Cancer Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest. The Edge system delivers a high dose of radiation, allowing you to complete treatment in fewer, shorter visits.
We use the latest technologies, including Varian RapidArc®. IMRT with RapidArc reduces the amount of time you need to hold still during treatment for a more comfortable experience.
We implant tiny seeds containing a radioactive substance into the cancer cells. We often use brachytherapy for cancer in sensitive areas, such as a man’s prostate or a woman’s cervix. Brachytherapy helps you feel more like your old self after treatment by limiting radiation exposure near healthy tissue.
IGRT uses real-time, X-ray imaging to pinpoint the cancer tissue during radiation therapy. With IGRT, we re-focus the radiation beams as necessary to confirm exactly where the tumor is in the body before and during treatment, such as those that occur in the lungs during breathing.
SIRT is a treatment approach for metastatic colorectal cancer and primary liver cancer. Y-90 resin microspheres are tiny radioactive “beads” used in SIRT, sometimes referred to as Y-90 radioembolization. SIRT treats stage IV colon cancer that has spread to the liver and can't be surgically removed.
Calypso behaves like GPS to pinpoint radiation beam accuracy during treatment, accounting for internal movement like breathing and digestion.
Respiratory gating is the process of turning the radiation beam on and off based on when you take a breath. It can be used to treat lung, liver, stomach and pancreatic cancers. Using respiratory gating, your radiation treatment is synchronized to your individual breathing pattern, targeting the tumor only when it is in the optimum range.
This is real-time motion management technology. It allows for motion tracking throughout the treatment delivery. It continuously updates the tracking display to show motion in all six degrees of freedom and is viewed throughout the treatment. This technology is used on stereotactic body radiosurgery (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) cases. These are treatments where a high dose is delivered to a small area and positioning is critical. The technology can also be used to treat breast, head and neck or any variety of case where real-time motion management is beneficial.
In the fight against cancer, you want to have access to the latest advances in care. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute is a proud member of the MSK Cancer Alliance, which provides patients with even more lifesaving care options, close to home.
Learn more