Reston Hospital

Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy is a key component of the treatment of gynecologic cancers. At the Ann B. Rodriguez Cancer Center there are several radiation therapy options for women facing reproductive cancers.

At the Ann B. Rodriguez Cancer Center there are several radiation therapy options for women facing breast cancer.

External Beam Radiation is performed on one of the Center’s two linear accelerators. Treatment protocols are planned and simulated using 64-slice CT scanning. Most patients undergo a multi-week course of treatment on the Trilogy Linear Accelerator.

High Dose rate Internal Irradiation (Brachytherapy) involves the use of internal catheters or a balloon type device placed in the pelvic region. Radiation is delivered directly to tumor using HDR applicators. Not all women are candidates for this type of radiation treatment, but for those who are the treatment can take just five days.

The Radiation Oncology Team

Rosemary Altemus, PHD MD is section chief of radiation oncology at the Ann B. Rodriguez Cancer Center and an adjunct professor of radiology at George Washington University. She attended medical school and earned her doctorate in Experimental Nuclear Physics at the University of Virginia, and completed residency at George Washington University Hospital. Prior to her work at the Ann B. Rodriguez Cancer Center, she was Senior Clinical Investigator at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, where she was also Director of the Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program. At NCI, her research interests included breast cancer, late radiation effects and refined radiation dose measurements and calculations (Monte Carlo Method). She has extensive experience in intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and clinical trials. She is board certified in radiation oncology by the American Board of Radiology, is a member of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the Society for Integrative Oncology, and the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group (EBCTCG).

Jefferson Moulds, MD is an attending physician at the Ann B. Rodriguez Cancer Center and an Associate Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center’s Lombardi Cancer Institute. He earned his Medical Degree at the University of Virginia, and completed his residency in Radiation Oncology at Georgetown University Hospital. He is the Director of the Radiation Oncology Training Programs at Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Moulds’ clinical and research interests include IMRT, IGRT, SRS, HDR-Brachytherapy including Mammosite and Partial Breast Irradiation. He is a member of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO).