Who We Are
Radiation oncologists, radiation oncology nurses, medical physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and biologists comprise ASTRO’s
more than 10,000 members, making it the largest radiation oncology organization of its kind. These medical professionals, found at hospitals and cancer treatment centers around the globe, make up the radiation therapy treatment teams that are critical in the fight against cancer. These teams, which often include a nutritionist and a social worker, treat more than 1 million cancer patients each year.
Among our members are healthcare professionals from distinguished community practice centers as well as major academic research facilities. ASTRO provides these hard-working men and women with the continuing medical education, health policy analysis, patient information resources and advocacy that they need to succeed in today’s ever-changing healthcare delivery system.
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What We Do
Founded in 1958, ASTRO’s mission is to advance the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.
Within the specific field of radiation oncology, we provide our members with numerous educational and professional development opportunities – from sponsoring hands-on educational courses year round to sponsoring the premier radiation oncology research journal, International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics. ASTRO is committed to continued excellence in patient care through a team-based treatment approach. We believe that helping the individual members of the treatment team grow within their profession is one of the chief strategies for meeting that goal and better serving cancer patients throughout the world.
ASTRO also focuses on fostering collaboration between radiation oncologists and the larger medical community. We work to establish links between our members and medical oncologists, surgeons, urologists, gynecologists, internists, family practitioners and other healthcare professionals to ensure that patients are offered the most up-to-date treatments available.
To better educate the patients that our members work so hard to cure, ASTRO works closely with the media to promote accurate articles on scientific breakthroughs involving radiation therapies. We also work with patient advocacy organizations to publish educational materials that keep patients and the public informed about radiation therapy as a safe and effective treatment option.
What is Radiation Therapy?
Though it is estimated that nearly two-thirds of cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment, it is perhaps the least well-known or understood treatment option for cancer patients. For many cancer patients, in fact, radiation therapy is the only treatment they will receive.
Radiation therapy, sometimes called radiotherapy, is the use of various forms of radiation to safely and effectively treat cancer and other diseases. Doctors use radiation therapy to try to cure cancer, to control the growth of the cancer or to relieve symptoms, such as pain. It can be used to treat cancer in almost any part of the body, although breast cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer typically make up more than half of all patients receiving radiation therapy. Radiation is also used to treat several benign diseases, such as non-cancerous tumors, heart disorders and thyroid problems.
During cancer treatment, the radiation oncology team members carefully focus X-rays, gamma rays and other sources of radiation directly on the tumor site in the body. The radiation works by damaging the DNA within cancer cells and destroying the ability of the cancer cells to reproduce. When these damaged cells die, the body naturally eliminates them. Normal cells are also affected by radiation, but they are able to repair themselves in a way that cancer cells cannot.
The goal of radiation therapy is to kill the cancer cells without damaging surrounding normal tissue. The radiation therapy team works together to plan each treatment and direct the radiation to the precise cancer location. By targeting the radiation directly on the cancer, the radiation oncology team is able to minimize the damage to the patient’s healthy cells. Although radiation does damage some healthy cells during treatment, over time the normal cells are able to repair themselves in a way that the cancer cells cannot.
Patients receive radiation therapy in one of two ways: externally or internally. During external radiation, a beam of radiation is directed through the skin to the tumor and immediate surrounding area in order to destroy the tumor and any nearby cancer cells. Internal radiation, or brachytherapy from the Greek word brachy meaning close by, is the placement of radioactive sources in or just next to a tumor. To position the sources accurately, special catheters or applicators are used. Because the radiation sources are placed so close to the tumor, your doctors can deliver a large dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells with minimal exposure to normal tissue.
Each year, many people treated with radiation therapy alone or in combination with other treatments are rendered cancer free.
ASTRO's Fast Fact Sheets
ASTRO is the world’s leading organization devoted to radiation oncology. With offices in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax, Va. ASTRO represents the medical and scientific professionals that use radiation therapy to treat patients with cancer and other diseases.
