July 2026
For many people diagnosed with prostate cancer, one of the biggest concerns is receiving effective treatment while minimizing side effects. At Providence, MRI-guided radiation therapy is helping make that possible through a more personalized, precise approach to care.
Amar Srivastava, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Providence Clackamas Radiation Oncology Center, highlights how this new radiation therapy is improving outcomes and guiding patient care.
Seeing the tumor throughout treatment
One of the biggest advantages of MRI-guided radiation therapy is the ability to monitor the treatment area in real time.
This enhanced visibility allows physicians to adapt treatment to a patient's unique anatomy and monitor changes that may occur during the session.
"The big benefit of having that direct visualization, the big benefit of being able to watch the tumor during treatment, is that we can make sure that we deliver a safe and appropriate radiation dose to kill off the cancer, while also protecting all that valuable real estate that's directly nearby," Dr. Srivastava says.
Protecting healthy tissue with personalized treatment
Precision is especially important when treating prostate cancer because of the prostate's size and location within the body, nestled between the bladder and rectum.
MRI-guided radiation therapy allows care teams to continuously monitor these nearby organs and tailor treatment plans to each individual patient.
"When we set a patient up for treatment with that real-time MRI machine running in the background, we're able to watch the bladder, we're able to watch the prostate and we're able to design a radiation treatment plan that's perfectly tailored to the unique individual and their unique anatomy," Dr. Srivastava says.
Related
- See more of our services at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center.
- Read a story about our GigaPath tool helping improve precision in pathology images.
