Radiation Therapy Services
Xoft Axxent Radiation Therapy
The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge Medical Center is the first hospital in the state of Tennessee to offer the Xoft Axxent High Dose Rate (HDR) electronic brachytherapy (eBx) system for the treatment of cancer. This technology gives area cancer patients a more convenient and comfortable alternative to traditional radiation therapy, which often requires a patient to undergo multiple rounds of treatment while isolated in a lead-lined vault.
The Axxent HDR eBx technology has many advantages compared with conventional radiation oncology. “With the Axxent system, the source of the radiation is x-rays and not radioactive material,” said Michael Howard, Director of Medical Physics for The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge. “The use of this relatively lower energy radiation has the potential to minimize radiation exposure for surrounding healthy tissues during treatment.” The Axxent’s use of this lower-energy x-ray technology also allows medical care providers to be in the room with a patient during treatment, an approach which can be comforting to patients.
Axxent HDR technology also features Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) capability. “This means that patients can receive radiation therapy at the same time they undergo a surgical procedure,” notes radiation oncologist Dr. Stephen Golder, Medical Director of The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Parkridge Medical Center. “The Axxent system can be brought into the operating room and treatment can be performed just after a tumor is removed. This means that it may be possible for some patients to complete their entire course of cancer therapy at one time.”
Because the Axxent system does not use radioactive isotopes, there is less need for special handling and hazardous materials handling related to cancer treatments performed with the system. The Axxent system can be used in a variety of applications, and Parkridge plans to treat breast, skin, and gynecologic cancers with the new device. For more information about Xoft Axxent Radiation Therapy, call MedLine at 800-242-5662.
Linear Accelerators
The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center houses two high energy Varian linear accelerators that are used to treat patients with cancer. These accelerators use x-rays and electrons to penetrate into the patient and kill cancer cells. Each of these units are equipped with the most advanced Multi-Leaf Collimator (MLC) system that is available. The MLC allows the radiation to target the tumor cells while protecting the patient’s normal tissue.
CT Simulation
Simulation is the process with which the physicians obtain images of the body in order to obtain the appropriate treatment plan. CT simulation is currently an industry standard for patient care. The CT simulator at Sarah Cannon offers our patients the most current technology to aid in the fight against cancer.
X-ray / Fluoro Simulation
The Cancer Center is equipped with 2-D simulation technology. 2-D simulation is the process where digital images are obtained using x-rays and fluoro imaging techniques. This process allows the physician to quickly verify patient setup and allow for areas that need additional radiation fields to be added to the course of treatment without the need for additional CT simulations.
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is the process of using radioactive isotopes to treat cancer. In addition to offering external beam radiation, Sarah Cannon offers a host of brachytherapy options to aid in the fight against cancer. The Radiation Oncologist will determine if brachytherapy is an appropriate course of treatment or possibly it can be used in conjunction with external beam radiation. Common isotopes used in brachytherapy include Cs-137, Ir-192, I-125 and Pd-103. Cancers commonly treated using brachytherpy include prostate, breast, lung and various gynecological cancers.
Ultrasound
Sarah Cannon Cancer Center offers ultrasound localization of the prostate for cancer treatment. This is the one of the latest tools in the fight against prostate cancer. It has been documented through a number of studies that the prostate will move on a daily basis. Previous treatment methods could not account for this organ motion. With the use of ultrasound, therapists are able to localize the prostate and shift the patient daily so the radiation fields will be accurately placed to treat the cancer. This technology allows the patient to receive higher doses of radiation while reducing the potential for side effects.
Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID)
Digital imaging has been one of the biggest improvements in patient care over the past decade. Sarah Cannon has implemented this technology on our linear accelerator. Cancer patients undergoing external beam radiation are frequently subject to x-ray procedures in order to determine proper placement of the radiation fields. Using standard x-ray films forced the patient to be on the treatment table for long periods of time and thus extending their treatment visit. By implementing digital imaging, the time the patient is on the table has been greatly reduced. The physician can now review images instantaneously without waiting for the film image to develop. This leads to shorter appointment times and allows the patients to get back to their everyday life more quickly.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
IMRT is quickly becoming the standard of care in cancer treatment. Sarah Cannon Cancer Center offers this technology to treat areas such as prostate, breast, pancareas and gynecological tumors. The benefit of IMRT is that it treats a tumor using many small fields while protecting normal tissues. In standard therapy it is common to use anywhere from 2-6 fields to treat a patient. IMRT has allowed the delivery of radiation to be spread out over as many as 120 fields. This precise treatment delivery is only possible using the most advanced technology available. Our cancer center has invested in this technology in order to provide the best possible treatment options for our patients.
Treatment Planning
Most patients never get an opportunity to see how their treatment plan is derived. This process requires advanced computers and planning systems to compute the proper dose to deliver while reducing the dose to critical structures. Our Cancer Center utilizes the Philips ADAC treatment planning system which allows our staff to view full CT data sets, fuse images with other modalities as well as calculate complex IMRT plans. With the latest software releases, Sarah Cannon ensures that our patients will be treated with the most up to date technology in order to receive the best possible outcome.
