Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, or “chemical treatment,” is a common form of cancer treatment that uses drugs to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.

In the chemotherapy suite, patients receive the chemotherapy drugs their Cancer Center oncologists have prescribed.

Since some chemotherapy treatments take several hours to complete, the chemo suite provides comfortable infusion chairs for patients. A photo mural showing a tranquil scene from the Texas hill country also lines one wall of the infusion room.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses X-rays or similar forms of radiation to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells.

The Cancer Center's Varian Clinac iX linear accelerator provides targeted, state of the art radiation therapy. The linear accelerator delivers precisely targeted radiation to cancers while limiting radiation to other organs and tissue. It features the newest oncology technology giving doctors the ability to target and track tumors more accurately.

The linear accelerator is equipped with OBI (on-board imaging) that delivers radiation with pinpoint precision at any angle to virtually any treatment location in the body. OBI makes it possible to take 3D, 360° CT scans while the patient lies on the treatment couch.

During treatment, patients can appreciate the beauty of a field of Texas bluebonnets shown in a photo mural in the ceiling above the treatment couch.

The radiation oncologists use a CT scanner to simulate the setup of treatment portals to be treated on the linear accelerator.

Radiation treatments are administered at the Lou and Jack Finney Cancer Center Monday through Friday.

Brachytherapy

The newest of our cancer fighting tools, the brachytherapy system enables radiation oncologists to treat localized prostate cancers through the implantation of radioactive seeds that eradicate the tumor internally.

This one-time, high-tech procedure provides precise localized treatment for the many prostate tumors that can't be treated effectively using the linear accelerator. Additionally, it helps reduce the amount of radiation exposure in surrounding, healthy tissues.

Bronchoscopy

Hunt Regional Medical Center's Super Dimension Bronchoscope allows for early lung cancer detection. It can produce optical images, perform biopsies and remove fluid while directly examining a patient’s air passages. The procedure is performed in the Surgery Department (usually as day surgery) because it requires anesthesia.

Learn more about our bronchoscopy services.