Personalized Treatment
Team Approach to Cancer Care
RPCI offers a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. The Department of Radiation Oncology at RPCI is the regional leader in innovative treatment methodologies supported by research and multidisciplinary partnerships.
Our multidisciplinary team of specialists includes board-certified physicians, physicists, and dosimetrists. These specialists work closely with our physician assistants, registered nurses, radiation therapists and other support staff to develop a customized treatment plan specifically for you that is based on the most up-to-date peer-reviewed research.
Typically, patients with early-stage cancer have multiple options, such as surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Patients who come to Roswell Park for a medical opinion, be it a primary consultation or a second opinion, will be exposed to all the options available for treating their cancer.
The People Involved in Patient Care
- Medical Physicist
RPCI’s board-certified medical physicists are an important part of our multidisciplinary Radiation Medicine team, designing and maintaining the quality assurance of every individual treatment plan. They ensure that information has been correctly transferred to the machine, that the plan agrees with the physician’s prescription, and that all information is consistent, understandable, and well-documented. They also contribute to the development of therapeutic techniques and collaborate with team members to design treatment plans. - Radiation Oncologist
Radiation oncologists are physicians who are responsible for the medically appropriate and technically correct radiation treatment of patients with cancer. All RPCI Radiation Oncologists are board- certified in therapeutic radiology by the American Board of Radiology, licensed by the New York State Department of Health, and comply with the American College of Radiology standards of care. - Dosimetrist
Medical Dosimetrists are professionals who design radiation treatment plans specific to each cancer patient’s prescription as determined by the Radiation Oncologist. This is done with state-of-the-art 3D graphics and patient imaging collaboration with other radiation oncology professionals. - Radiation Therapist
Radiation Therapists plan and deliver the prescribed course of radiation therapy. Roswell Park has more than 20 full-time board- certified Radiation Therapists.
Fast Facts
- Almost half of all people diagnosed with cancer will receive radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with other treatments.
- Over 11 million Americans are cancer survivors.
- The most common cancers are of the breast, prostate, colorectal and gynecologic regions, and all can be treated with radiation therapy.
