Radiation Therapy

More than 35,000 radiation treatments are delivered each year to people living with cancer in Central East Region, with new patients growing to more than 2,500 this year.

Two types of radiation treatment are available at the R.S. McLaughlin Durham Regional Cancer Centre (DRCC) at Lakeridge Health:

• External beam radiation therapy uses a machine called a linear accelerator to deliver radiation from outside the body.
• Brachytherapy fights cancer from inside the body with radioactive seeds that are surgically implanted for treatment of gynecological, prostate and skin cancers.  This can be temporary or permanent.

External beam radiation therapy is also available for breast, prostate and palliative cancer treatments at the Norm and Jessie Dysart Radiation Treatment Centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

In efforts to bring cancer care as close to home as possible, radiation oncologists travel to these locations to provide consultations and follow-ups:

• The Scarborough Hospital
• Rouge Valley Health System, Ajax and Pickering Hospital
• Ross Memorial Hospital
• Peterborough Regional Health Centre
• Northumberland Hills Hospital