Several staff members will be involved with you as you go through your treatment process. Before treatment begins, the radiation oncologist (board-certified physician) will consult with the dosimetrist to determine the dosage of radiation.

A registered nurse will provide nursing care throughout the treatment as well as assist with managing side effects. Treatment will actually be administered by the radiation therapist.

A glossary of team members:
Department Director – Manages the daily operations of the Cancer Center and assists the radiation oncologist with the simulation on the patient’s first visit.

Medical Dosimetrist -- Develops a treatment plan that will deliver the most radiation to the tumor and the least to the surrounding normal tissue.

Medical Radiation Physicist – Works closely with the Radiation Oncologist to plan the best treatment for the radiation patient. He is responsible for making sure the machines run accurately, checking the work of the dosimetrist and making sure the patient is receiving the radiation that the physician has prescribed.

Patient Advocate – Helps patients navigate through their cancer treatment and does whatever is needed to make patients feel better emotionally.

Radiation Oncologist – The physician who oversees and prescribes the patient’s radiation therapy treatments. He works closely with the medical oncologists, the surgeons, the urologists and other physicians to plan the best care for the cancer patient.

Radiation Therapist – Administers daily radiation therapy treatments under the direction of the Radiation Oncologist. Radiation therapists also chart daily doses and monitor patients for radiation side effects.

Registered Nurse – Provides nursing care throughout the treatment as well as assists with managing side effects.

Tumor Registrar – Responsible for submitting Tanner’s cancer data to the State of Georgia for a state cancer database. The tumor registrar reports all diagnoses of cancer – including what type, stage at presentation, how it was treated, and other information – from our service area. The state uses this information to report cancer incidence and trends for Georgia and to compare it to national cancer data.