Overlake Medical Center Offers Cancer Patients Faster, More Precise Radiotherapy
<0> Overlake Medical CenterKipepeo Brown, 425-688-5603orLee Keller, 206-799-3805 </0>
Overlake Medical Center is now treating cancer patients faster and with greater precision using the new TrueBeam radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatment system from Varian Medical Systems. It is an innovative image-guided radiotherapy technology enabling a radically different approach to treating cancer.
William Brent Reece, M.D., treated the first patient using the hospital’s new system on July 2. This patient recently finished his course of treatment for lung cancer.
With dose delivery rates that are 40 to 140 percent higher than earlier generations of Varian technology, the TrueBeam system can complete a treatment commensurately faster. This makes it possible to both improve precision and offer greater patient comfort by shortening treatment times. “Intelligent” automation further speeds treatments with an up to fivefold reduction in the number of steps needed for image guidance and dose delivery.
“TrueBeam makes it possible to deliver accurate image-guided treatments within a few minutes per day. Daily, we monitor and compensate for tumor motion, and that further increases treatment accuracy,” said Dr. Reece.
The TrueBeam imager can produce the three-dimensional images used to fine-tune tumor targeting in 60 percent less time compared with previous Varian image-guided technologies. Additional functionality makes it possible to create images using 25 percent less X-ray dose.
“Imaging is an essential part of modern-day, targeted radiotherapy,” explained James Pelton, M.D., who also plays an instrumental role in patient care with TrueBeam. “This machine allows us to minimize the amount of x-ray needed to generate an image — and that’s good for our patients.”
TrueBeam can be used for many forms of advanced treatments such as image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), including intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), RapidArc® radiotherapy technology and Gated RapidArc. “Each of these approaches is appropriate for a certain type of clinical situation,” said Dr. Reece. “With TrueBeam, we can choose the optimal approach for our patients.”
Overlake Medical Center is a nonprofit, non-tax-supported regional medical center with a network of primary care, specialty and urgent care medical clinics throughout the Eastside. The hospital is licensed for 349 beds and offers a comprehensive range of services including cardiac care, cancer care, general and specialty surgery, women’s programs, senior care, psychiatric services and it was the first Level III trauma service on the Eastside. Overlake also participates in a wide range of community outreach activities including health fairs, free health screening events, wellness classes and wellness publications. For more information, visit .
Funds raised by Overlake Medical Center Foundation and Overlake Auxiliaries support vital patient programs and further Overlake’s mission of Medical excellence every day.™ In 2011, Overlake launched a campaign to establish a new Heart & Vascular Center, build a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, consolidate Cancer Center services and invest in leading-edge medical technologies and treatments to advance patient care. For more information or to donate, visit .
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