The Lehighton area will soon have a new option for cancer radiation treatments.

Carbon County Cancer Center is opening this month at 800 Mahoning St., Lehighton, in office space previously occupied by chemotherapy doctors. Susan McCoy, regional manager for the cancer center, said the doctors moved in September to a different location in Lehighton. A month before their move, Blue Mountain Health System approached Lebanon Valley Cancer Center in Lebanon about opening a center in Lehighton. An agreement was met and renovation of the Lehighton office began in January."We hope to be able to take care of the community right here," she said.Currently, cancer patients in the Lehighton area have to travel more than 45 minutes one way to receive radiation treatments. This can be hard on them over an extended period of time, McCoy said.Although invited here by BMHS, the cancer center operates independently of any hospital, she said. All cancer patients being treated through a doctor affiliated with any hospital can come there for radiation treatments. The center treats all types of cancers, except for pediatric cancers."We accept all insurances," McCoy said. "And we will never turn away a patient for inability to pay."The radiation oncologist is Dr. David Moylan, and he will see patients at the center. There are also two therapists on staff and a front desk person, McCoy said. She anticipates the local center will see 15 to 20 patients each day with treatments taking about 15 minutes.McCoy explained that radiation treatments have to be done every day for several weeks, except on Saturday and Sunday."Radiation therapy is an accumulative therapy," she said.Although the radiation beam is positioned to hit just the tumor, good tissue nearby can be affected somewhat. By taking off two days for the weekend, the good tissue is able to regenerate, McCoy said. The radiation beam will destroy only the cancerous tissue."The treatment itself is short," she said. "It's setting them up that takes more time."But it is absolutely necessary in order to make sure the treatment is directed only at the cancer and not good tissue.The radiation equipment used at the center is called a linear accelerator. It is used for three types of radiation treatment: intensity modulated radiation therapy, 3-D conformal radiotherapy and image guided radiation therapy.The patient lies on the table in a comfortable position that will allow the beam to hit the tumor. The table is moved in order to place it close to the machine. The machine rotates vertically around the patient.On the other side of the wall, the patient is monitored via several computer monitors. The therapist can talk to the patient."They are not left alone. They are monitored the whole time," McCoy said. "If they even cough or move, we turn the machine off."The patient has to be that still in order for the beam to hit the exact same spot during each treatment."They don't feel anything. They don't see anything," McCoy said. "They just hear the hum of the machine."Of course, patients do have questions. Evan Boring, one of the center's therapists, said he gets asked often, "If they are going to glow afterward.""No, it won't happen," he said.McCoy explained that the radiation is only present when the beam is on. When it's off, the radiation is off."It's not floating in this room," she said.Patients also ask about what types of activities they can do following treatments and who they can be around. McCoy said that they can go about their typical day - go to the store, play with grandchildren.They also want to know if they will lose their hair. McCoy said the only hair that will fall out is at the site where the radiation was directed and that area may be only millimeters in size, depending on the size of the tumor. Chemotherapy is the treatment where people may lose their hair, because it goes throughout the body. Patients receiving radiation may also receive chemotherapy.The Carbon County Cancer Center will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, but they can be flexible with scheduling in order to accommodate peoples' work schedules. The center can be contacted at 484-464-4673.The American Cancer Society has an information area within the center. Anyone seeking for more information about cancer is welcome to come in, McCoy said. The information isn't only for patients.