Radiation Oncology

Cancer Treatment has improved in recent years because of new information and advanced technology. The radiation therapy facility in the Kootenai Cancer Center features a linear accelerator. It directs a high-energy radiation beam to the treatment area as defined by the radiation oncologist.

The most recent addition to the program is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). IMRT is a refinement of 3-D radiation therapy, in which the shape of each beam corresponds to the shape of the tumor. The beam targets the bed of the tumor and allows for small margins around the tumor, sparing more normal tissues. This tool is effective in treating prostate cancer and head and neck tumors.

Successful treatment requires the right planning. In the radiation oncology department, the equipment represents the most recent advances in medical science, assuring all treatments will be both effective and safe. A CT scanner is used to pinpoint the area of the body to be treated and to determine how the patient will be positioned for treatment. This machine takes a large number of images in less than two minutes. These images are transferred to a 3-D treatment-planning computer. The radiation oncologist delineates the tumor to determine the area that needs to be treated.

The Kootenai radiation oncology facility includes two radiation oncologists, a physicist, radiation therapists, dosimetrist and registered nurses dedicated to the treatment of cancer patients. Meet our radiation oncologists:

Dr. David Davenport is board-certified in Radiation Oncology. He completed his radiation therapy fellowship at the University of Utah Medical Center.

Dr. Karie-Lynn Kelly is board certified in Radiation Oncology from the American Board of Radiology. She completed her residency at the University of Calgary's Tom Baker Cancer Center.