Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Treatment Options

Fighting sarcoma and bone cancer with pinpoint accuracy.

At MRO, we use radiation, or radiotherapy, to destroy cancer cells, which are more susceptible to radiation that normal cells. Using state-of-the-art imaging technologies such as MRI, CT, and PET, your MRO care team can pinpoint radiation doses down to the millimeter.

Radiation treatment is commonly used in several circumstances for bone cancer and sarcoma.

• After surgery, to kill any remaining tumor cells in the margins.
• As the primary treatment, if surgery is not a good option and chemotherapy is not effective.
• To help prevent or relieve symptoms from the tumor.
• To treat bone cancers that cannot be completely removed with surgery.

Once your MRO radiation oncologist has examined you, he or she will discuss treatment options and the pros and cons of radiation treatment, to explain treatment, discuss how often radiation therapy is given for sarcoma and bone cancer, and provide information on how to take care of yourself during treatment.

With sarcoma and bone cancer, there are several different treatment techniques used, but each uses a machine called a linear accelerator (LINAC) to direct precise doses of radiation at the cancer cells. Like an x-ray, radiation therapy is painless. There’s no fear of becoming radioactive during or after treatment.

Radiation treatment options

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) delivers high doses of radiation to cancer cells from outside the body, using a variety of machine-based technologies. In recent years, newer EBRT techniques have been shown to help doctors treat cancer more accurately while lowering the radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissues.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced form of external beam radiation therapy. With this technique, a computer matches the radiation beams to the shape of the tumor and can adjust the intensity of the beams. The radiation is delivered to the tumor from many directions to reduce the amount of radiation that goes through any one area of normal tissue. This makes it possible to reduce radiation damage to normal tissues while increasing the radiation dose to the cancer.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is also used for metastatic spine tumors. This is a specialized form of external radiation treatment that precisely directs a radiation dose at a small target. The number of individual treatments required is less than in typical EBRT.

Since radiation therapy for sarcoma and bone cancer requires the utmost precision, you’ll also go through a simulation at the MRO Therapy Center. Using image mapping as a guide, your care team will position you as you would be for treatment and take measurements to build a targeted treatment plan and pinpoint the radiation for the best possible outcome.

“Fighting cancer is tough, and we strive to be the partner who understands and supports you in this journey. We work with you and your loved ones to ensure you understand your treatment and any options that will provide the best possible outcome.”
D. Ross Dickson, MD
MRO | Mercy