SRT Treatment

What is Superficial Radiotherapy or SRT?

Unlike traditional radiation that delivers massive amounts of energy that penetrates deep into the body and can cause severe skin reactions, SRT utilizes a small, protable device that delivers very low energy just below the surface of the skin. It treats only skin cancers. Because SRT uses low energy radiotherapy, skin reactions are typically mild and very small.

Is SRT customized to each individual patient, and each patient’s type of skin cancer?

Skin cancer varies in size and cell type, and responds differently based on how it’s treated. 

Protocols for treatment have been determined through many years of clinical usage in radiation therapy settings. This is a treatment 3 days a week for 6-7 weeks on average.

The energies of the machine used to treat skin cancers are less than what is used for a chest X-Ray.

What to expect during your course of therapy

• A knowledgeable staff of Dermatologists, Radiation Therapists, and support staff all in place to assist you during treatment.
• Your review and signing of an informed consent to discuss treatment expectations.
• A simulation where photos, ultrasound images, and treatment parameters are entered into a computer for documentation and reproducibility.
• An overview of your treatment schedule.
• You will generally be treated by the same Radiation Therapist each time you come in, but all the Radiation Therapists are trained to treat you.
• Your Radiation Therapist will evaluate your skin reaction daily, and once per week you will be seen by your practitioner for evaluation.
• Your care team will recommend medication as needed for skin reactions, change your treatment if necessary, or place you on break for a short period if the skin needs some rest from the treatment.
• Your skin will heal up quickly after treatment is completed.