Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is useful for treating cancer because cancer cells grow and divide more rapidly than surrounding cells and are therefore more sensitive to radiation. Hendrick Medical Center has provided radiation therapy services since the mid-1950s.

The radiation therapy team includes board-certified radiation oncologists, a radiation oncology nurse, a radiation physicist, medical dosimetrists, radiation therapists and front desk scheduling representatives to work with each patient during the treatment process.

Currently we use two linear accelerators to treat tumors within the body and on and slightly below the skin. Additional high-tech equipment is used to image and plan each patient’s treatments in three dimensions to provide the most appropriate means of treating tumors while minimizing side effects.

We provide 2-D, 3-D, 4-D and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) external beam treatments utilizing image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT).

We are the only facility in Abilene that provides high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy for internal treatment to breast and gynecological sites.