Radiation oncology
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center patients get radiation therapy from leading radiation oncologists who specialize in specific cancers. Your Fred Hutch radiation oncologist knows the most advanced options for treating your disease and will design a personalized treatment plan to target your tumor.
We offer a full range of radiation therapy, including access to the latest and most innovative options through our clinical trials.
Treatment Centers
You may get radiation therapy at one or more of these locations. Your radiation oncology team will tell you where to go. Our centers feature state-of-the-art equipment so your doctor and care team can deliver the right treatment for you.
Leaders in Radiation Oncology
IORT: UW Medical Center is the only hospital in the Pacific Northwest to offer intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), a radiation treatment that is done during surgery. Fred Hutch doctors at UW Medical Center have years of experience treating patients with this therapy.
Neutron Therapy: UW Medical Center is the only place in the U.S. that offers neutron therapy, a very powerful type of radiation therapy that works well on salivary gland tumors and some other radiorefractory cancers. UW Medical Center is also the only place in the world that offers a highly conformal neutron therapy called intensity modulated neutron therapy (IMNT). IMNT carefully shapes the radiation beams so they closely fit the area of the cancer. This means that less radiation goes to healthy tissues and organs.
Proton Therapy: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – Proton Therapy is led by world-class experts in proton therapy. It is one of only two centers like it in a seven-state region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Radiation oncology is an area of medicine that uses high-energy beams to treat some cancers. The treatment itself is called radiation therapy, or radiotherapy. A radiation oncologist is a medical doctor who specializes in radiation therapy.
Diseases Treated
Radiation therapy is used to treat the primary (main) site of certain diseases, such as breast, colon, lung and prostate cancers. It is also used to treat metastases (areas where cancer has spread), such as the bones, brain and other organs. It can be used to treat sarcoma, gynecologic, head and neck, lymphoma, and brain and spine cancers.
External-Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)
External-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is a treatment where radiation beams come from a source outside the body. Usually, it comes from a machine called a linear accelerator (also called a LINAC).
These beams are carefully pointed exactly at your tumor. For example, if you have cancer in your lung, you will only have radiation aimed at your chest, not your entire body. This is the most common type of radiation therapy that people get to treat cancer.
EBRT includes the following types of treatments, which are all offered at Fred Hutch:
The EBRT Process
Here is what you can expect if you are having external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT). If you are having a different type of radiation therapy, your radiation oncology team will explain the steps involved, where you will need to go and what you will need to do.
First Appointment
During your first appointment, you will meet with your radiation oncologist and other members of your radiation therapy team, such as a registered nurse and advanced practice provider. Your radiation oncologist will go over your health history, do a physical exam and discuss the treatment they recommend for you, including what outcomes to expect and any side effects you might have.
Simulation
Your next visit is usually for simulation. This is when scans and measurements are taken to help plan your treatments. Depending on the treatment, this may involve taking a computed tomography (CT) scan of the part of your body being treated or creating special cushions to help keep your body in the same position every time you are treated.
Our radiation therapists may draw marks on your skin or place small pinpoint tattoos to help make sure you are lined up exactly the same way every time you are treated. If your head is being treated, your team will create a customized positioning mask to help hold your head in place.
Treatment Planning
Your radiation oncologist, medical dosimetrists and a medical physicist will work together to plan your treatment, using the measurements and images from your simulation. Their goal is to make the radiation work well on your cancer with the least possible effect on the healthy parts of your body. Special computers with state-of-the-art radiation treatment planning software are often used, and the treatment planning process can take several days.
Verification Simulation
After your doctor has approved your radiation treatment plan, you may need to return to the radiation oncology department for a verification simulation. This is a final check to make sure your positioning on the treatment machine is correct and check other details of your treatment before you begin.
Treatment
EBRT is usually given in a series of visits that last 20 to 30 minutes each, five days a week. Treatment usually lasts between one day and eight weeks, depending on your tumor type, location and size. Your doctor will see you for a check-up at least once a week while you are having these treatments, too.
Follow-up
After your treatments are complete, you will visit your radiation oncologist to create an individualized follow-up plan.
Internal Radiation Therapy
When a radioactive substance is put inside your body to treat cancer, it is called internal radiation therapy. Often, the substance is a small implant. It could also be a pill that you take by mouth or a fluid that you get intravenously (by injection in your vein). Here are the different types of internal radiation therapy.
Care Team
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, we surround you with experts who focus completely on cancer care. Radiation oncology teams usually include the members described below.
Managing Side Effects
Radiation therapy can cause side effects. These depend on the type of radiation therapy you have and the part of your body that is treated. Your team will give you details about which side effects may happen and for how long.
You are always at the center of everything we do. Our doctors, nurses and advanced practice providers will work closely with you to manage any side effects and help you take the best possible care of yourself during treatment.
Clinical Trials
Many of our patients join clinical trials — led by world-class doctors from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center — to get promising treatments that are not available everywhere.
We are testing hundreds of new therapies for dozens of types of cancer and finding new ways to use current treatments.
Through this work, we are looking for answers to two main questions: How can we do even better at controlling or curing cancer? How can we make treatments easier on patients?
We have clinical trials for all stages of cancer, from early to advanced. When your radiation oncologist designs your treatment plan, they will give you the choice to join clinical trials that match your situation. If you decide to join one, you will see the same doctors and nurses as you would for standard therapy.
Your care team will talk with you about if you might want to join a study and why. This can help you make the decision that is best for you.
Supportive Care Services
Along with treating your cancer, Fred Hutch provides a range of services to support you and your caregiver. This is part of how we take care of you — not just your disease.
Along with your radiation oncologist, radiation therapist, and radiation oncology nurse, you’ll have many others to provide support. From registered dietitians to chaplains to social workers, our experts specialize in caring for people with cancer. We understand this may be one of the most intense and challenging experiences you and your family ever go through. We are here to provide the care you need.

Our registered dietitians have special training in nutrition for cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship. They work together with the rest of your cancer care team.

Our palliative care team is here to support the best possible quality of life for you, no matter what stage your disease is.