System is one of only 10 cancer centers in the U.S. to use this technology
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has acquired a groundbreaking radiation therapy treatment system, in use at only ten cancer treatment centers in the U.S. called Elekta Unity, the technology monitors a patient’s movement while simultaneously delivering targeted radiation therapy to cancerous tumors and tumor beds.
“The single bed equipment pairs magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with radiation therapy, letting clinicians start and stop cancer treatment in real time, adjusting as the patient moves and breathes and as organs shift inside the body,” said Kathleen Forbes, MD, executive vice president of MLH’s Academic Group, which includes Methodist University Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. “Because of the exact precision, healthy tissues surrounding the tumor avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.”
The Methodist Cancer Institute at Methodist University Hospital in the Memphis medical district is only cancer center in the Mid-South to offer cancer treatment on the Elekta Unity system for soft tissue cancers like brain, breast, gynecologic, head and neck, prostate and gastrointestinal cancers including pancreatic and liver cancers.
“Our ultimate goal is to provide every patient with innovative, effective, high quality and safe care so they can return to live their best lives,” said Forbes. “Using the Elekta Unity on hard-to-treat cancers, we can minimize treatment-related side effects and reduce a patient’s overall treatment schedule.”
For more information on the Elekta Unity and other services available at the Methodist Cancer Institute, please visit www.MethodistHealth.org/cancer or call 901-478-2400.
Bob Bakken is the most recognized and most trusted name in DeSoto County news and sports reporting, as readers continue to express their appreciation for his accuracy and fairness in the stories he writes. Bob is also heard on 95.3 The Rebel twice a week with sports updates and high school football play-by-play broadcasts in the fall. A former newspaper editor and writer, his award-winning background also includes television news producing, sports media relations, and radio broadcasting.
