What is radiation oncology?
Radiation uses powerful rays of energy targeted directly at a tumor. It is a non-invasive treatment that focuses on destroying cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Because of this, tumors shrink with few side effects.
Here are a few things to understand about radiation. It doesn’t hurt. You can’t smell it, taste it, hear it or feel it. Radiation is a gamma wave, with a deeper energy than an x-ray, but you don’t need to hold your breath during your treatment. You do not carry any radioactive materials away with you. And there’s no danger to children or pregnant women that you come in contact with.
How often are my treatments?
You come to the cancer center every day, five days a week for a number of weeks. Treatments usually take about fifteen minutes. Every year, we give thousands of treatments in our Utica and Rome locations. The location you go to is determined by your physician. If you have a problem with transportation and meet certain criteria, we have vans to get you to your treatments.
What if I need help coping?
The Radiation Oncology team understands how difficult a cancer diagnosis is for you and your family. We also know that your physical and emotional well-being can affect your treatment. That’s why we offer on-site nutritional, psychological, and spiritual counseling. And we have financial advice available so that you can concentrate on your treatment, not on your bank account.
Who will be taking care of me?
From your first appointment to your last, you’ll have exceptional care throughout your course of treatment. You’ll get to know the people on your team including:
- radiation oncologists
- physicians
- oncology certified nurses
- radiation therapists
- dosimitrists
- support staff
The Physicians
Gilbert Lawrence, MD, DMRT, FRCR
Dr. Gilbert Lawrence is board certified in Radiation Oncology by the American College of Radiology. He began his career after graduating from medical school and obtaining his master’s degree in surgery. His interest in cancer and physics attracted him to the field of radiation oncology.
He graduated as Fellow of the Royal College of Radiology (FRCR) in London, England and in 1977 immigrated to the United States as a research fellow at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, NY working on radio-sensitizers. Dr. Lawrence continued his research at America's highest energy physics research laboratory, "Fermi Lab," outside Chicago, Illinois where he worked on the use of Fast Neutrons in the treatment of cancer.
Before joining FSLH in 2000, Dr. Lawrence had assistant professor appointments at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University in Chicago and was a clinical professor of Radiation Oncology at Kansas University Medical School.
While in clinical practice, Dr. Lawrence continues his academic interests through presentations at several cancer meetings and publishing in many national and international journals in the fields of radiation oncology, breast and prostate cancers.
Dr. Lawrence is the recipient of several academic awards, including Faxton St. Luke’s CARE Physician Award (Changing Attitudes and Redefining Excellence). He is currently the president of Upstate New York Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (UNYSTRO), a regional affiliation of the national organization (ASTRO).
Dr. Lawrence enjoys the work he does at The Regional Cancer Center because it permits him to interact with the patients, their families, the primary care physicians. and the patients' other medical and surgical specialists to provide care close to the patient's home.
The physicians in radiation oncology get to know as much as possible about their patients, Dr. Lawrence says.
“We are dealing with a serious illness. We really need to get to know a patient both medically and psychologically,” he adds complimenting the hospital on investing in the best technology. “I appreciate the relationships I have built with my patients. After all, that’s what it’s all about.”
John C. Crawford, MD, FACRO
John C. Crawford, MD FACRODr. Crawford knows that patients want to hear what their options are. “We want to empower our patients with knowledge. Give patients the data and let them decide.” The question patients want answered is: what’s best for them right now, this year? That’s why Dr. Crawford attends national meetings, writes articles, and leads seminars in his specialty, radiation oncology.
He started medical school in general surgery. He chose radiation oncology as an elective, and became intrigued with it. And he found out that it worked. “The 1980s confirmed that lumpectomy and radiation equaled mastectomy in terms of survivorship. There’s probably no more technologically advanced field in medicine than radiation oncology.” Twenty years later, he still loves what he does. He says, “One of the most important things I can tell a patient is to see a radiation oncologist before a surgery is planned.”
Dr. Crawford emphasizes that the radiation oncology team supports their colleagues who refer patients to them. He strongly urges patients to consider radiation oncology at The Regional Cancer Center during the initial consultations with their doctors. “We are technically the best in the business, and we are physicians interested in curing our patients and making them better. We are cutting edge, and we’re open to all of our patient’s needs.” The way he puts it, “I like to create a plan. Then I like to destroy the cancer and preserve a life.”
Alfred Tinger, MD
Alfred Tinger, MD, joined Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare’s (FSLH) Regional Cancer Center and 21st Century Oncology as a radiation oncologist. For the past 11 years, Tinger has been medical director of Radiation Oncology for 21st Century in Westchester County.
Tinger attended SUNY Binghamton, where he majored in physics and was a teaching assistant in the field of biological effects of radiation. He received his medical degree from the Health Science Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tinger performed his medical internship at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, New York. He attended the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis for his Radiation Oncology Residency, where he was selected to be Chief Resident. At the Mallinckrodt Institute, Tinger was the recipient of both the American Cancer Society's Clinical Oncology Fellowship Award and the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Resident Clinical/Basic Science Research Award.
Tinger is Board Certified in Radiation Oncology by the American Board of Radiology. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the New York State Medical Society and the Westchester County Medical Society. He actively participates in the Westchester County Division of the American Cancer Society and the Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Lung Association.
Throughout his career, Tinger has been actively involved in medical research programs and has published his results in numerous journals and publications.
What state-of-the-art technology is available?
Our technology often surpasses that found at leading cancer centers across the nation. You can be confident that The Regional Cancer Center offers you technologically advanced radiation treatments given by caring professionals.
- Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
- High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- MammoSite
Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
Through Image Guided Radiation Therapy, images are used to verify your positioning, which assures exact treatment of the cancer. With IGRT, radiation oncologists at The Regional Cancer Center are able to set up smaller treatment areas therefore, reducing side effects and radiation exposure to healthy tissue.
High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)
Thanks to High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy, doctors are better able to treat the exact site of a cancerous obstruction in your airway using a strong dose of radiation. Brachytherpy is the placement of radioactive seeds into tumors. The radioactive seeds deliver radiation to the cancer without harming the surrounding normal tissue. HDR Brachytherapy uses a computer-controlled robot to insert the radioactive seed into the tumor. The radiation is more intense, and is delivered in three to five minutes.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy is an approach to therapy that provides a high dose of radiation to the cancerous area while restricting the dose of radiation to the surrounding sensitive tissues.
With IMRT:
- You are treated with many very small beams of radiation, versus the single, large, uniform beam currently used in conformal therapy.
- A uniform dose of radiation is delivered to the tumor.
- Sensitive surrounding tissue is protected from high doses of radiation.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery
We offer Stereotactic Radiosurgery for treating many types of cranial lesions, including benign and malignant brain tumors. A less-invasive treatment method, Stereotactic Radiosurgery is a procedure that delivers a single concentrated dose of radiation to a precise area located in the brain. Minor incisions are made into the skin on the head, reducing complications and risks usually associated with traditional surgery where major incisions are made into the skull. With Stereotactic Radiosurgery, high-speed computers are used to calculate the location of the tumor and the exact amount of radiation needed to treat you.
This treatment can now be used to treat some tumors found elsewhere in the body. The doctor will decide if Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery (SBT) is the right treatment for you.
MammoSite
Mammosite is a form of High Dose Rate Brachytherapy treatment for breast cancer. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and delivers high-dose radiation directly to the site where the tumor was removed. This targets the area where the cancer would most likely recur and spares nearby healthy tissue. The treatment is so effective that it can usually be completed in one to five days instead of several weeks.
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