Mercy Radiation Oncology - Sindelar Cancer Center
Due to construction on the campus of Mercy Hospital South, traffic detours are in place. Drivers to this location are encouraged to enter the campus from the Kennerly Road entrance. For more information, click here.
Radiation Oncology St. Louis, MO
Mercy Radiation Oncology at the Sindelar Cancer Center offers a wide range of some of the most advanced radiation therapies for the treatment of cancer. The center has been accredited by the American Society for Radiation Oncology Accreditation Program for Excellence (ASTRO- APEx) in providing high-quality, safe patient care.
Types of Radiation Therapy
Our board-certified physicians use radiation therapy to treat a variety of medical conditions, including cancer. Radiation treatment is often given following cancer surgery or in addition to chemotherapy. We offer a wide range of radiation therapy services that are used to personalize treatment, including:
- Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI)
- Deep Inspiration Breath Hold
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
- RapidArc
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
- Cyberknife
External Beam Radiation Therapy
External radiation treatment may be given by means of machines (linear accelerators) that produce high-energy X-rays or electrons (negatively charged particles) that are then aimed at the location of cancer.
The Sindelar Cancer Center offers some of the most advanced linear accelerators today:
- The Elekta Versa HD – Uses a high-precision beam of radiation to shorten treatment duration and protect healthy tissue.
- The Accuray Radixact (with Synchrony) – One of only six in the United States, improves dose accuracy and treatment times with visualization, correction and real-time tracking.
Internal Radiation Therapy
Internal radiation, or brachytherapy, helps target a smaller area while minimally affecting the rest of the body. Radioactive materials also may be implanted directly in a tumor or introduced through tubes placed in a specific site of interest.
The Sindelar Cancer Center uses the Flexitron HDR Afterloader to treat cancer through brachytherapy. This machine transfers radioactive material through tubes to the targeted area.
Cyberknife
CyberKnife uses highly precise radiation to treat complex cancers and non-cancerous tumors without incisions. The precise targeting delivers high doses of radiation while avoiding surrounding healthy tissues and tracks real-time movements, including breathing. CyberKnife is used to treat a variety of cancers in the brain, head, neck, spine, lung, prostate, abdomen and certain gynecologic tumors. Built-in image guidance and the robotic system enables the device to move around the body at different angles, delivering highly precise treatment to the tumor only. The motion management system adjusts for breathing, coughing and other muscle movements.
A single treatment typically lasts 20 minutes to an hour. Depending on the type of tumor, treatment may take only one day or up to a few weeks, all significantly shorter time frames than traditional radiation therapy. Patients feel no pain during treatment, require no anesthesia and often return to their usual activities the same day.
