Cancer Care at Delnor Offering Ultra-Precise, Image-Guided Radiotherapy Treatments
CONTACT: LYNNE CASEY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(630) 208-4512
Unique technology uses real-time imaging to accurately target tumors and spare healthy tissues.
At a cost of more than $2 million, it stands approximately nine feet tall by nearly 15 feet long, weighs 18,700 pounds and resides in a specially constructed concrete room called a vault … Delnor’s newly acquired Varian Clinac iX linear accelerator with an On-Board Imager is the latest addition in the arsenal to fight cancer.
“The new accelerator’s capability of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) enables us to create sharply-focused beam arrangements for a tumor so we can deliver higher doses of radiation with absolute precision; ultimately increasing the likelihood of successful treatment,” says Dr. D.D. Raj Bendre, radiation oncologist. “This is important as it allows lower doses of radiation to healthy tissues so patients experience fewer side effects and complications.”
One feature of the new unit is an On-Board Imager, which allows physicians to target tumors with great accuracy via high-resolution digital x-ray images. The On-Board Imager creates images of the patient while in the treatment position before the treatment begins. Software calculates how much the treatment table needs to adjust in order to align the radiation beam and the treatment area. With the push of a button, the treatment table and patient are position correctly.
“The On-board Imager is a feature that assists us to precisely and quickly check and correct the accuracy of our treatments and repeatedly verify and re-plan based upon what we are seeing,” describes Dr. Bendre.
Just as Rome was not built in a day, installation and calibration of equipment weighing nearly nine tons was not an easy undertaking. Delnor patients receiving radiation therapy were temporarily re-routed to Nuclear Oncology’s Winfield location for 4 months during the process. “We appreciate the understanding that patients and referring physicians displayed during the time it took to install, remodel for and calibrate the new equipment,” says Tom Wright, COO. “We believe the capital investment of IGRT will greatly enhance the treatment capabilities for our cancer patients. ”
The accelerators can be used to treat almost every type of solid tumor such as those located in the brain, breast, cervix, larynx, lung, pancreas, prostate, skin, spine, stomach and uterus.
“A significant goal of Delnor’s cancer program is to continually strive to offer our patients the best available technology. IGRT is in synch with the strategic initiative and with the commitment we have to our patients,” says Kathy Domalick, RN, BSN, MBA, director oncology program development. “Our patients deserve the most efficient and effective technology close to home. We are all about delivering that quality at Delnor.”
“IGRT represents a significant step forward in treating cancerous tumors with radiation therapy,” says Dr. Bendre. “With IGRT, we know exactly where the cancerous tumor is prior to every single treatment, thus allowing us to pinpoint the radiation for maximum effectiveness. This new technology is tremendously beneficial to the patients we care for at Delnor.”
300 Randall Road