We are located at Marquette General Hospital, 580 West College Ave, Marquette Michigan, 49855 on the ground floor of the 1984 building.  The easiest access to us is to use the East entrance off of College Ave.

Our registration area is directly off of 84 lobby. 

The Radiation Oncologist will now sit down with you to get clarification of any events leading to your diagnosis.  The Radiation Oncologist will do a brief physical as it relates to your diagnosis.

He will then review the summary of his assessment with you.  If the Radiation Oncologist recommends radiation therapy for you, they will discuss the treatments with you, explain what you might expect, and review any possible side effects that you could experience during your Radiation Therapy.  The Radiation Oncologist will try to answer your questions as it relates to your diagnosis and treatments.

After the Radiation Oncologist has met with you, the nurse will typically meet with you again to complete any additional education with you and answer questions that you might have. You will then be scheduled for the next step, which is treatment planning

In the treatment planning phase you will have a “Simulation” done.  A Simulation has to do with the taking of special X-Rays, and imaging which better allows your Radiation Oncologist to best define and outline your tumor.

Often custom positioning devises need to be made to help the therapist to be able to reposition you precisely for each radiation treatment.  Special foam cradles, called alpha cradles are made that conform to your body. For some patients with cancers of the head or neck areas, a custom aquaplast mask is made to aid with the exact positioning needed for your radiation therapy.

From your simulation, your Radiation Oncologist will outline (contour) the area to be treated and will prescribe the amount of radiation you are to receive.

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Behind the scene, your Radiation Oncologist will contour your tumor and prescribe the amount of radiation you are to receive. Your plan now goes to specialized treatment planners called Dosimetrist.

It is their job to take the films outlined and prescription of radiation that you are to receive, and to then design the shape, angles and strengths of the radiation beam to best treat you as your Radiation Oncologist ordered.

When the Dosimetrist completes the treatment plan, it goes back to the Radiation Oncologist for final approval.

Once approved by your Radiation Oncologist, your treatment plan then goes to our Medical Physicist, who performs a double check of the plan. The Medical Physicist will also check and measure the radiation treatment machines (Linacs) output to verify that all systems are a go.

The treatment machine (Linac) is set up to the settings and measurements that have been designed especially for your treatment. A dry run set up (verification simulation) is performed with you actually on the treatment machine's couch.

The radiation therapist will perform all set up of your treatment plan with you, but no radiation is given. This serves as a way for all aspects of your treatment plan to be given one final check and to make sure that all measurements from your treatment planning line up on the treatment machine.

For the day of your first treatment, you will have been given a special bar coded card, called a Cue card. You will use this card for each treatment day. You will then be in our waiting room until the therapist comes to get you for your scheduled treatment. On your treatment days, we will verify your identity by asking you for your name and date of birth.

You will then be precisely aligned on the treatment machine. The therapist will step out of the treatment room during your actual treatment. The radiation therapists are still monitoring you by both intercom and video camera.

When your daily treatment is over, you will be assisted off of the treatment couch and escorted back to the lobby.