Lancaster General Health is First in Lancaster County to Offer Advanced TomoTherapy Radiation Treatments
Friday, October 23, 2009
 Lancaster General Health recently added the TomoTherapy® Hi•Art® treatment system to its arsenal of radiation oncology tools. The health system offers a broad range of leading-edge radiation therapy services and technologies, each developed to treat a variety of patient needs in a manner designed to improve outcomes and reduce side effects.
TomoTherapy® is an advanced form of intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatment (IMRT) and planning technology that combines CT imaging with three-dimensional, helical radiation delivery. Lancaster General Health is the first in the region to offer this innovative cancer treatment option to patients, further complementing its existing technologically advanced treatment tools such as Gamma Knife® radio surgery, Mammosite® partial breast radiotherapy and more.
The TomoTherapy® system provides remarkable precision so that tumors receive the intended radiation dosage from one day to the next, while minimizing unnecessary dose to adjacent healthy tissue. The system’s unique, fully-integrated CT scanner allows CT imaging of the patient before each treatment and is checked for accuracy against the treatment plan, permitting radiation therapists the ability to adapt plans daily based on a variety of medical factors.
“Lancaster General Health is proud to be the first and only healthy system in our region to offer this advanced level of radiation therapy,” said Jeffrey S. Eshleman, MD, Staff Radiation Oncologist, who completed a radiation oncology residency at the Mayo Clinic before returning to his native Lancaster to join the LG Health staff.
“TomoTherapy differs from traditional IMRT in its helical approach to delivery,” explained Melanie McCurdy, RTT, Director of Radiation Oncology. “With TomoTherapy, we have 360 degrees of freedom to use for radiation delivery. There are no start and stop motions, just continuous, rotating IMRT. The beam is sculpted to the tumor volume, and is able to take into account irregularities in tumor shape and size.”
The TomoTherapy® Hi•Art® system divides a single beam of radiation into tens of thousands of beamlets, delivered at any point in a 360-degree-radius to conform the radiation dose to the tumor, blocking and unblocking beams as needed with precision, while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
TomoTherapySM is an excellent treatment option for a wide range of cancer patients. However, Tomotherapy may not be appropriate for all patients, notes Ms. McCurdy. “Tomotherapy is another tool, another option that may benefit selected cancer patients. Our department provides a comprehensive approach with multiple radiation delivery systems all designed to help us achieve our goal of optimal treatment for each specific patient, each specific cancer.” Our physicians work closely together to determine the specific treatment plan and the specific technology to deliver treatment that will best serve each patient’s needs.”
The TomoTherapy® unit is located at the Cancer Center within the Lancaster General Health Campus. The radiation oncology team is constantly seeking new ways to elevate patient care and improve patient outcomes.
About TomoTherapy Incorporated
TomoTherapy Incorporated has developed, manufactures and sells the Hi∙Art® system, one of the most advanced and versatile radiation therapy systems commercially available for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. TomoTherapy Incorporated markets the Hi∙Art® treatment system to university research centers, hospitals, private and governmental institutions and cancer treatment centers in North America, Europe and Asia.
About Lancaster General Health
Lancaster General Health is a not-for-profit health system that features Lancaster General Hospital (LGH), an acute-care facility located at 555, N. Duke St., and a diverse range of healthcare providers throughout Lancaster County. Other system providers are Lancaster General Health Women & Babies Hospital, an outpatient Suburban Campus, several smaller health centers, the Visiting Nurse Association and Lancaster General Medical Group. Twice designated a Magnet hospital for clinical excellence, LGH was named one of America's 100 Top Hospitals, nine of the past 11 years. LGH has been recognized regionally and nationally for its intensive care unit and cardiology and orthopedic services. Other key specialty services include obstetrics, open-heart surgery, neurosurgery and trauma. Lancaster General Health system is the county’s largest employer with over 7,000 employees. The health system’s vision is to create an extraordinary experience…every time for its patients, employees and physicians. Lancaster General Hospital is a member of the Penn Cancer Network.
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