Bringing advanced photon therapy closer to home at Atlantic Health Chilton Medical Center

Cancer care today is more advanced, more personalized and more effective than ever before — and radiation oncology plays a central role. Nearly two out of every three cancer patients will receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment journey. For many, it is one of the most powerful tools available to cure disease, control symptoms and improve quality of life.

Atlantic Health Chilton is expanding local treatment capabilities with the installation of Varian’s most advanced linear accelerator platform, the TrueBeam photon therapy system. Under the direction of Kenneth Blank, MD, medical director of radiation oncology at Atlantic Health Chilton, the mission is simple: to bring world-class cancer treatment close to home, delivered with compassion, expertise and the very latest technology available anywhere.

What is TrueBeam photon therapy?

Using high-energy X-rays, the TrueBeam linear accelerator delivers targeted radiation to destroy cancer cells. It combines advanced technologies with powerful imaging to treat tumors with extreme accuracy. Treatment is so precise, it not only wipes out cancer cells, it also preserves surrounding healthy tissue.

“Linear accelerators are a lot like cars,” says Dr. Blank. “They come in different models, with different capabilities and different features, and ours is top of the line. It’s a major step forward for our cancer care program.”

Major benefits for patients

The TrueBeam platform at Atlantic Health Chilton has advanced image-guided, high-dose-rate radiation therapy. It integrates enhanced imaging, real-time motion management and rapid dose delivery into one single system.

“For our community, this radiotherapy and radiosurgery platform translates into exceptional flexibility,” says Dr. Blank. “Breast, prostate, lung, brain, spine and metastatic disease can now be treated with greater precision and efficiency, using techniques matched to the clinical situation.”

Here are some of the key benefits for patients:

1. Enhanced imaging. TrueBeam’s imaging is one of its greatest assets. In the past, certain tumors required a separate procedure before radiation could begin. With TrueBeam imaging, tumors can often be visualized at the time of treatment and that extra procedure is no longer necessary.
2. Shorter treatment times. Radiation therapy requires daily visits over several weeks. This becomes especially difficult for patients dealing with pain, fatigue or limited mobility. Treatments that used to take 45 minutes can now be completed in five to 10 minutes. This significantly improves comfort and tolerability.
3. Greater precision and accuracy. TrueBeam technology is designed to maintain the highest standards of safety and effectiveness. It delivers radiation more precisely to targeted cells while sparing healthy tissue, helping to improve patient comfort and recovery.
4. Advanced radiosurgery capabilities. TrueBeam has an advanced platform for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiation therapy. These techniques allow high-dose precision sculpting for selected brain and body tumors, often delivered in one to five treatments.
5. Keeping care local. Travel is a significant burden for patients receiving radiation therapy. With TrueBeam in place, patients at Atlantic Health Chilton can now receive advanced radiation techniques without leaving the area. It means less disruption and logistics that complicate patients’ lives.

A commitment to excellence

There’s another benefit to localized care, too. When a patient’s radiation therapy ends, Dr. Blank and his team coordinate closely with that patient’s oncology team to plan next steps for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery or continued monitoring.

“We work together to do what’s in the best interest of our patient,” says Dr. Blank. “My goal is to treat each patient the way I’d want my family members treated, making sure they have access to the most innovative technologies and the physicians who know them best.”