St. Joseph's/Candler Physician Network - Radiation Oncology

The Radiation Oncology Center at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion provides a combination of state-of-the-art equipment with highly skilled radiation oncologists.

Our team designs a specific treatment plan to meet each individual patient’s needs for radiation therapy. Because our physicians, physicists and therapists are specially trained in the most up-to-date techniques in radiation oncology, our team can minimize and prevent damage to healthy glands, organs and tissues. 

Radiation oncology is the medical specialty that involves the controlled use of radiation therapy to treat cancer. Our radiation oncologists are specialists at using the most advanced technology for treatment of many cancers. Our radiation oncologists are:

• Dr. John Pablo, Medical Director
• Dr. Joshua McKenzie
• Dr. John Mikell
• Dr. Stephen Ramey

The Radiation Oncology Center at the Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion houses some of the world’s most advanced radiation technologies. Some of the ways your cancer may be treated via radiation include:

• Four-dimensional (3-D + time) CT scanner - used in radiation treatment planning and two four-dimensional radiation treatment systems.
• The CyberKnife – The most advanced radiation technology available in the world. The machine’s robotic movements allow tumors to be precisely targeted with more powerful radiation to treat previously inoperable tumors.
• The TrueBeam – An advancement on traditional radiation, this system is more accurate and creates shorter treatment schedules.
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) - IGRT helps to verify the accuracy of radiation treatment with the use of daily imaging before treatment begins. Complemented by sophisticated treatment planning software and pre-treatment imaging studies, this technology is particularly accurate in delivering localized radiation because it allows for breathing and daily internal organ changes.
• Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT) - VMAT or RapidArc Radiotherapy Technology is an advanced form of IMRT that delivers a precisely-sculpted 3D dose distribution with a 360-degree rotation of the gantry in a single or multi-arc treatment. Unlike conventional IMRT treatments, during which the machine must rotate several times around the patient or make repeated stops and starts to treat the tumor from a number of different angles. VMAT/RapidArc can deliver the dose to the entire tumor in a 360-degree rotation, typically in less than two minutes.
• Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) - IMRT is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specific areas within the tumor. IMRT allows for the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the three-dimensional shape of the tumor by controlling the intensity of the radiation beam in multiple small volumes. IMRT also allows higher radiation doses to be focused to regions within the tumor while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical structures.
• Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) - SBRT is a technique that delivers high radiation doses to a tumor target in a hypo-fractionated schedule. This means it is delivered in a few treatments but using a high dose per treatment. The schedule is usually two to five factions over a one to two week period without increased complications when compared to conventional radiotherapy. 
  In addition to Savannah, radiation oncology services also are offered at our Hilton Head, S.C., location. To learn more about radiation oncology, please visit the LCRP website.