Radiation Oncology Program

Interim Section Chief
Alan Hartford, MD

Radiation has been used to treat cancer for more than 100 years. Millions of patients have undergone radiotherapy, and cure rates have increased steadily. For some cancers radiation therapy is the first line of defense and for other types it is used in support of surgery, chemotherapy, or other treatments.

While the general technique - killing tumors with focused energy - is not new, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and scientists are combining a number of modern technologies for producing significant breakthroughs in radiation therapy.

Our services include:

• Advanced radiosurgery with Trilogy™
• Access to clinical trials of new treatments
• MammoSite® radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer
• Prostate cancer treatment
• Outpatient stereotactic radiosurgery

Radiation Oncology Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide expert and compassionate clinical care, to discover new ways to improve the clinical outcome of patients with cancer, to increase our understanding of the biology of cancer and to educate the next generation of experts and leaders in radiation oncology.

To create an atmosphere that promotes the practice, learning and teaching of the clinical, intellectual and ethical aspects of Radiation Oncology and to share that knowledge with trainees, patients and colleagues within and outside of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock community.

To develop and maintain a meaningful and productive workplace that provides for staff satisfaction, professional development and personal growth.

To work together to deserve the trust of our referring physicians and others we serve.  We are committed to serving the needs of regional physicians and patients in the delivery of superior, radiation oncology services and providing consultation at all levels of care.