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 Use of a state-of-the-art linear accelerator in combination with IMRT technology at Clara Maass Medical Center enables cancer patients to safely receive higher doses of radiation treatment to shrink tumors faster with fewer side effects.
-- A new state-of-the-art linear accelerator combined with advanced radiation oncology technology known as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) has put the Clara Maass Radiation Oncology Department, part of The Cancer Center at Clara Maass, at the forefront of radiation therapy treatment.
The $3 million project includes a Primus linear accelerator, developed by Siemens Medical Systems, Inc., providing the utmost in precision treatment with its automation and enhanced accuracy. Used in conjunction with IMRT, patients can now safely receive higher doses of radiation that have the potential to shrink tumors faster, and ultimately, eliminate them with fewer side effects.
"I'm thrilled that we can now offer the community the best treatment available in radiation oncology -- the very same technology that is available at major cancer centers," said Dr. Corinne Devereux, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Clara Maass. "Because this technology enables us to direct the radiation beam with millimeter precision to the cancer, we can avoid normal tissue and reduce side effects. These higher doses to the cancers will hopefully result in more cures."
In 1994 Clara Maass became the first hospital in New Jersey to offer conformal therapy, that is, radiation treatment that ideally conforms in size and shape to the tumor. When a patient was treated with radiation therapy, lead blocks attached to the accelerator were used to block normal tissue from undue radiation exposure. Blocks were painstakingly and individually manufactured by technicians for the various fields being treated and it was not uncommon for technicians to spend hours fabricating the blocks and verifying their accuracy before a patient could even begin treatment. During treatment time, therapists would often have to reenter the treatment room to change the blocks and set the patient up again, a process which lengthened a patient's time on the treatment table.
With the new technology, a sophisticated internal computer network system links Treatment planning, Physics, and the CT (Computerized Tomography) simulator in Radiation Oncology, enabling the radiation oncologist to plan the most effective and accurate treatment for a patient. Once the treatment is approved, the information is sent to the Primus accelerator and technicians rely on automated lead sleeves in a three-dimensional multi-leaf system to replace the old lead blocks. The machine not only eliminates the process of manufacturing the blocks, but also reduces the staff exposure to lead and hours of pre-work involved in treatment preparation. Patients benefit from both advanced technology and a 50 percent reduction in treatment time.
The Primus accelerator also allows for portal imaging, that is, digital files electronically transported to a data storage bank for record-keeping, monitoring and analysis, thus eliminating the need for costly film.
"With the computerized accelerator, you program the computer for each individual patient, and that patient can continue his/her treatment every day without further input. It eliminates the possibility of inaccurate data entry, and if any data is entered that doesn't correspond to the initial approved plan it is discarded," said Dr. Devereux.
IMRT technology improves radiation treatment by making the direction of the beam so precise that surrounding normal tissue will be spared from radiation. Oncologists can decide where to provide peak doses and lower doses and can maximize the amount of radiation to the tumor with confidence that side effects, resulting from radiation to normal tissue, will be minimized.
IMRT technology has already been applied to patients with prostate cancer and head and neck cancer at major academic institutions, according to Ken Blank, M.D., radiation oncologist and Chairman of the Cancer Committee at Clara Maass. Good results are also anticipated in treating breast cancer because high dose radiation may be given without damage to any major organs since the beam can be accurately angled to target only the tumor.
"IMRT is a major advance in the technology of radiation oncology because it allows a precision in the dosing which previously was impossible to produce," said Dr. Blank. "IMRT breaks the irradiation field into hundreds of pixels and allows the physician to control the dose within each pixel. We are proud to be one of the few community hospitals in New Jersey to purchase a linear accelerator and a new treatment planning system with IMRT capability."
For more information on IMRT or other oncology services, please call the Cancer Center at Clara Maass at 1-800-CLARA MAASS.
Clara Maass Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, provides a complete continuum of care to residents of northern New Jersey. Located in Belleville, Clara Maass offers acute care services through Clara Maass Medical Center; skilled, rehabilitative care through the Continuing Care Center at Belleville; assisted living and long-term care through the Continuing Care Center at Kearny; home health care through JerseyCare Home Health; and diagnostic radiology through the Progressive Imaging Center.
Other centers of medical excellence include the Women's Health Center, nuclear medicine, The Cancer Center, diagnostic cardiac services including cardiac catheterization and rehabilitation, The Wound Center at Clara Maass, the Pain Management Center, the Orthopedic Spine & Joint Institute, same day surgery, and maternal/child health programs. For more information on Clara Maass programs and services, please call 1-800-CLARA MAASS or to take a virtual tour of the Medical Center, visit www.saintbarnabas.com.
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