Newswise — Loyola University Health System, April 24, became the first hospital in Illinois to treat a patient with Novalis® shaped-beam body radiosurgery, an advanced, computer-assisted therapy that preserves nearby healthy tissue as it precisely targets tumors of the lung, spine, head & neck, liver, prostate and other areas.
"It will be especially useful for selected patients in the treatment of lung cancer, which is traditionally challenging for radiation treatment because the lung moves when the patient breathes," said Dr. Bahman Emami, chair, department of radiation oncology, Loyola University Health System, Maywood, Ill. "The technology delivers highly accurate doses of radiation to tumors subject to movement."
Loyola was the first hospital in Illinois two years ago to treat brain tumors with shaped-beam radiosurgery. Now the technology is expanded and upgraded for tumors and lesions in other parts of the body.
"The system delivers a high dose of radiation to the tumor with pinpoint accuracy while minimizing radiation's effects on surrounding tissues," said Emami. "The system continuously shapes the radiation treatment beam to match the size and dimensions of a patient's tumor from all angles."
This ensures that the tumor receives the full prescription dose while protecting nearby healthy tissue, especially important for irregularly shaped tumors, Emami noted. Reduced side effects and better treatment outcomes are the result.
Linda Genna, 50, of Brookfield, Illinois, a patient with lung cancer, began her daily outpatient treatment with the new equipment at Loyola on Monday April 24, and finished Friday, April 28, under the guidance of Dr. Edward Melian. "I was thrilled to complete treatment in just five days," said Linda. "Traditional radiation requires 6 to 7 weeks of treatment."
Virtually painless, the treatment is usually done on an outpatient basis. The patient is awake throughout the procedure. Shaped-beam body radiosurgery and radiotherapy:
-requires fewer treatments than standard radiotherapy (five sessions vs. 33 sessions for a lung cancer)
-effectively targets irregularly shaped tumors
-uses noninvasive immobilization techniques with real-time imaging for maximum accuracy and precision
-spares more normal tissue from radiation
"The system is an alternative for patients who cannot undergo conventional surgery because of tumor location or because of other illnesses," said Melian, assistant professor of radiation oncology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
Already, Loyola uses shaped-beam noninvasive radiosurgery with pinpoint accuracy to treat brain and base-of-skull tumors with a precision of one-millimeter, allowing sparing of nearby critical structures. In order to shape the beam for surgery, the system uses very fine leaves (3 mm wide) to mirror the contour of the tumor or lesion from any angle. A high-dose photon beam is delivered to the tumor or lesion through the shaping device.
The new system has the added capability to specifically position the patient for precise treatment of tumors within the body.
The system is being used at the Loyola Outpatient Center on the Loyola University Medical Center campus. For more information, visit the Loyola University Health System Web site at http://www.luhs.org or call (708) 216-2729 weekdays 9 a.m. " 3:30 p.m. CDT.
Loyola University Health System, a wholly owned subsidiary of Loyola University Chicago (LUC), includes the private teaching hospital at Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), 17 specialty and primary care centers in the western and southwestern suburbs, the Loyola Ambulatory Surgery Center at Oakbrook and the Loyola Oakbrook Terrace Imaging Center; and serves as co-owner-operator of RML Specialty Hospital, a long-term-care facility for ventilator-dependent patients in suburban Hinsdale, Ill. Loyola is nationally recognized for its specialty care and groundbreaking research in cancer, neurological disorders, neonatology and the treatment of heart disease. The 61-acre medical center campus in Maywood, Ill., includes the 523-bed Loyola University Hospital with a Level I trauma center, the region's largest burn unit, one of the Midwest's most comprehensive organ transplant programs, the Russo Surgical Pavilion and the Ronald McDonald® Children's Hospital of LUMC. Also on campus are Loyola's Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center and LUC Stritch School of Medicine. The medical school includes the Cardiovascular Institute, Oncology Institute, Burn & Shock Trauma Institute, Neuroscience Institute and the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy.
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