Offering the Most Advanced Radiation Therapy Available
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.
- Radiation Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – South Lake Union
- Radiation Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, UW Medical Center – Northwest
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – Peninsula
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – Proton Therapy
- UW Medical Center – Montlake
- Gamma Knife Center, Harborview Medical Center
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.
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.
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.
Learn more about IORT
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.
Learn more about Proton Therapy
Radiation Treatment Types
We offer a full range of radiation therapy, including access to the latest and most innovative options through our clinical trials.
Radiation 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.
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.
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) works by damaging the DNA inside cancer cells using high-energy beams. After enough damage occurs, the cells cannot multiply, and they die.
Yes. There are two main types of radiation therapy: external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and internal radiation therapy. EBRT means that radiation comes from a source outside the body, like a high-energy beam. Internal radiation therapy means that a radioactive substance is put inside the body so it can send out radiation. The radiation is delivered either as photons (such as X-rays or gamma rays) or subatomic particles (tiny particles that are smaller than atoms, such as electrons or protons).
People get radiation therapy to cure, stop or slow their disease. It is also used to reduce the risk that cancer will come back or to help with symptoms caused by tumors. The goal of radiation therapy is to destroy as many cancer cells as possible while causing the least amount of damage to healthy cells.
Radiation therapy is used in these ways:
- Primary treatment: As a main treatment to cure, stop or slow the disease.
- Adjuvant therapy: After one or more other treatments, like surgery or chemotherapy, to reduce the risk that the cancer will come back.
- Palliative therapy: To help with symptoms, like pain, by shrinking the tumor.
The exact role of radiation therapy in your care depends on many factors, including the type, size, location and stage of your cancer. Your radiation oncologist will tell you about the type of treatment they recommend for you and explain why they think it is the best choice.
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.
Learn about Supportive Care Services
Nutrition
Our dieticians have specialized training and knowledge about nutrition for cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship. They work together with each patient's care team.
Palliative Care
Supportive and palliative care is here to prevent and relieve suffering and to support the best possible quality of life for patients and their families, regardless of the stage of their disease.