In a promising development for cancer patients in North Mississippi, the Cancer Center at Magnolia Regional Health Center has commenced treating cancer patients using the VitalBeam™ radiotherapy system from Varian Medical Systems, bringing advanced image-guided tumor targeting capabilities close to home.
The VitalBeam radiotherapy system, delivers powerful cancer treatments with pinpoint accuracy and precision. It offers physicians a broad spectrum of treatment options for challenging cases such as lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, liver and pancreas. The system was installed earlier this month, and the Cancer Center at Magnolia has begun scanning patients
“This system allows us to offer patients sophisticated non-invasive radiotherapy treatments closer to home,” said Jim Hobson, CEO of Magnolia Regional Health Center. “Previously, they would have needed to travel out of town to get such advanced care, and we are proud to offer this service to our patients, here in Corinth.”
“The VitalBeam is a real game-changer that will enable us to treat even challenging cases with pinpoint accuracy and precision, making it possible for us to offer fast, targeted treatments,” said Micah Monaghan, MD, Radiation Oncologist. Its integrated imaging tools enable the treatment team to pinpoint the tumor they are going to treat, monitor its position during treatment and make adjustments for greater accuracy.
“Imaging is an essential part of modern-day, targeted radiotherapy.” This machine allows us to choose an imaging mode that minimizes the amount of X-rays needed to generate an image—and that’s good for our patients.”
Treatments that once took 15 minutes or more can be completed in less than two once the patient is in position. “These are significant reductions in treatment time,” said Dr. Monaghan. “Many patients will spend a whole lot less time lying still, immobilized on a hard surface.”
The accuracy is made possible by a sophisticated architecture that synchronizes imaging, patient positioning, beam shaping, and dose delivery, performing accuracy checks every ten milliseconds throughout a treatment.
“With VitalBeam, we can select the optimal treatment for every type of cancer,” said Dr. Monaghan. “This is a breakthrough that enables us to offer a wider spectrum of advanced radiotherapy treatment options to more patients. It represents a big step forward in our ability to help people fight cancer, in Corinth, without them traveling long distances.”