Mega Doctor News –
Edinburg, Tx —Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Cancer Center has been providing state-of-the-art care, services, and technology since it opened its doors in 2007. The addition of the new Varian TrueBeam™ with Edge™ linear accelerator is an upgrade to the current equipment that will continue to provide cutting-edge treatments with the highest technology for cancer patients in the Rio Grande Valley. With this advanced and precise technology, members of our community who have been diagnosed with particular tumors can receive highly specialized cancer treatment close to home.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a form of radiation therapy that delivers high doses of radiation to a small area of the body (U.S. National Library of Medicine). This form of radiation treatment is most commonly used for tumors in the brain or central nervous system, and more recently to other areas of the body (stereotactic body radiation). The radiation delivered is given at a concentrated dosage; which requires fewer treatments. With the Varian TrueBeam™ with Edge™ technology, the machine uses high precision, accuracy, and sophisticated 3-D imaging to deliver a more precise treatment while also sparing the surrounding normal tissue (Varian Medical Systems).
“The goal with SRS treatment is to kill that tissue within the body that we are targeting with the very precise beam. Old methods of SRS treatments were highly dangerous due to the potential improper application of attachments to the machine,” states Dr. Oscar Garcia, Radiation Oncologist at the DHR Cancer Center. “New state-of the-art machines, such as ours, recognize the proper equipment that is to be attached before treatment begins. If any equipment is not properly attached to the machine, it will alert us and will not deliver treatment until it is fixed. The machine also reads patient movement, which allows us to adjust the beam to even the slightest movement in order to increase patient safety and to ensure we are delivering the radiation to the proper location, meaning patients will need to undergo this only treatment once.”
Dr. Garcia explains the process leading up to a patient’s treatment. “SRS requires extensive preparation with the patient and radiation oncology team. Presently, we begin preparing at least two weeks in advance. The coordination between the neurosurgeon, radiation oncologist, physicist, and the team operating the machine is crucial to guarantee the best possible outcome for the patient. There is a large need for this type of treatment and we are the only facility in the Rio Grande Valley providing these services.”
“The addition of the TrueBeam system will allow us to provide cutting-edge cancer care to the Rio Grande Valley”, states Noel Salinas, DHR Cancer Center Director. “No longer do patients and their family members have to travel outside of the RGV to receive some of the latest treatments in cancer care.”
In 2015, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Cancer Center became the first nationally accredited cancer center in the Rio Grande Valley after receiving a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. This accreditation has provided the framework for DHR to advance their programs to focus on the full spectrum of care, including the optimal treatment of cancers. The addition of the TrueBeam™ equipment and technology allows the DHR Cancer Center to continue its promise to the Valley by providing the highest quality of care close to home. MDN
