Radiation Oncology
Through the Local Radiation Oncology Service partnership, Rockingham Peel Group patients with cancer can access quality, comprehensive modern radiation oncology offsite in nearby Rockingham.
This partnership between South Metropolitan Health Service and ICON Cancer Centre enables eligible public patients with cancer to receive treatment closer to home at no cost.
Patients receive their treatment at the ICON Cancer Centre in Rockingham (external site), located on the corner of Civic Boulevard and Central Promenade, Rockingham.
About radiation oncology
Radiation oncology (radiation therapy) is one of the most important tools to treat cancer. It may be:
- used as a stand-alone treatment
- combined with other treatments, such as chemotherapy (external site) or other drugs
- given before or after surgery.
This highly targeted treatment aims precise beams of radiation directly at a tumour. This protects healthy surrounding tissues or organs while keep any possible side effects to the immediate treatment area.
Radiation oncology is typically administered using a linear accelerator (linac) machine, which looks similar to a large X-ray machine. The 2 state-of-the-art Local Radiation Oncology Service linacs enable onsite radiation oncologists to accurately treat nearly all cancer types of various size, type and location.
Once the DNA in a cancer cell is damaged by radiation, it can no longer tell the cancer cell to grow and multiply. This causes the cell to die and the tumour to shrink.
For some cancers, such as prostate, lung and skin cancers, radiation oncology may be the main treatment used, avoiding the need for surgery.
For many people with a cancer diagnosis, radiation oncology can lead to cure. For people with some advanced cancers, it can improve their quality of life by helping to control pain and other problems caused by cancer.
What to expect
Understanding what to expect during your first day of radiation therapy can help ease any anxiety you may be feeling.
More information
To find out more about radiation oncology, visit Cancer Council (external site) and Targeting Cancer (external site)
Learn about specific radiation oncology services:
- Deep inspiration breath hold (external site)
- External beam radiation therapy (external site)
- HyperArc cancer treatment (external site)
- Image guided radiation therapy (external site)
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (external site)
- Stereotactic radiation therapy (external site)
- Triggered imaging (external site)
- Volumetric modulated arc therapy (external site)
In an emergency
Please go to your nearest emergency department (ED). If you are having chemotherapy or immunotherapy, present your purple card to the ED staff.
Contact us
During business hours, please phone 9500 7800 or email ICON Administration.
Visit Icon Cancer Centre (external site).
Location
Please note radiation oncology is not provided onsite at Rockingham General Hospital.
Read how to get to the Icon Cancer Centre Rockingham (external site) at 2 Civic Boulevard, Rockingham for your radiation oncology treatment.
Opening hours
8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday