Radiation Oncology

Alongside Surgical Oncology and Hematology-Oncology, Radiation Oncology is one of the three central pillars of the newly designated Cancer Center of Excellence at Walter Reed-Bethesda, the only Military Treatment Facility to receive this distinction from the Department of Defense.

World-class care
Radiation Oncology offers state of the art treatment options for all malignancies and all age groups, to include:

• External Beam Radiation Therapy (3-D Conformal)
• Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
• Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
• Remote Proton Radiation Therapy (RPRT)
• Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)
• Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
• Brachytherapy (Low-Dose or High-Dose)

Alongside our imaging suite (CT/PET and MRI), our Service fields the most technologically-advanced Linear Accelerators on the market:

• Trilogy with RapidArc
• TomoTherapy®
• TrueBeamTM STx (with BrainLAB® and Exac Trac®)

In addition to offering advanced conventional radiation therapy treatments, some of our patients may now be considered for proton radiation therapy as well (to be delivered at the University of Pennsylvania’s Roberts Proton Therapy, Philadelphia, PA).

A commitment to research
Radiation Oncology is aggressively pursuing clinical trials with the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), the University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University for all disease sites. We are also an institutional member of the Proton Collaborative Group.

Today, our service is able to enroll eligible-patients under three proton radiotherapy studies (Glioma, Prostate Low-Risk and Prostate Intermediate-Risk) as well as one Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study (survival study for prostate patients who received conventional radiotherapy). Additional trials are currently being submitted or reviewed.

Our commitment to research extends to disseminating clinical and research advances in leading publications (thirty-two articles in peer-reviewed journals over the past five years).

We serve active duty and retired military personnel, as well as their beneficiaries. In collaboration with Behavioral Health, we also provide counseling for our patients and their families.

Our physicians, several of whom serve as faculty at the Uniformed Services University, are board-certified (American Board of Radiology). The Service actively supports the National Capital Consortium (NCC) Radiation Oncology Residency Program.