Medical Oncology
South Florida Cancer Clinic: A Leader in the Patient Care Movement
1st Line Oncology has opened a next-generation radiation therapy in Coconut Creek, FL, led by Board Certified Radiation Oncologist Edward J. Kaplan, MD.
Dr. Kaplan is the brains behind 1st Line Oncology and says that every element in the center was chosen with the patient in mind, from its name, which is meant to inspire confidence and purpose, to its spa feel and the latest technology — from the cappuccino maker to the linear accelerator.
- South Florida Cancer Clinic: A Leader in the Patient Care Movement
“A cancer diagnosis catches most people off-guard and can be overwhelming. Most people have no familiarity with the disease, let alone the terminology used to describe it, or the often times confusing options offered to them,” says Dr. Kaplan. “Our patients normally visit weekdays, often for weeks at a time, while they are receiving their radiation treatments. So, we made a concerted effort to let them stay focused on getting better rather than worrying about selecting the right medical team. From the moment they enter our door, our patients know that they have come to the right place.”
Dr. Kaplin has more than 20 years’ experience in the medical field. He has developed a patented chemotherapy treatment that was recently recognized by the State of Florida for its potential merit as a recipient of research funding by the National Cancer Institute. Kaplan has dubbed the therapy, entotherapy, and it involves the placement of cupcake sprinkle-sized absorbable plastic seeds directly into cancers. The first prototype seeds will be intended for use in brain tumors, where there is a desperate need for better interventions.
It has been his passion for the well-being of his patients that led him to create the finest cancer center in Broward County.
1st Line Oncology’s all-digital Elekta Synergy radiation therapy unit is the “hi-def” version of radiotherapy and is the most advanced linear accelerator on the market today. Its image-guidance tools are the most sophisticated available, assuring precision targeting of patients’ cancers.
Full story here : http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/9755/
Elekta offers the world’s most complete portfolio of stereotactic treatment solutions for the treatment of cancer and diseases of the brain, spine and body. The resulting systems’ design and performance reflect decades of leadership and innovation.
Our radiation oncology and neurosurgery customers face the constant cost-benefit challenge of wanting to adopt the most advanced treatment protocols within the constraints of the resources available. Elekta Axesse™ has been specifically developed to help meet this challenge, to bring the highest treatment quality to the maximum number of patients.
Resource management benefits
Caseload versatility • Workflow efficiency • Patient throughput
Treatment quality benefits
Patient safety • Targeting accuracy • Dose escalation • Hypofractionation
A wide range of stereotactic and intensity modulated treatments
Lung • Liver • Prostate • Head-and-neck • Spinal metastases • Large brain metastases
Bismark Cancer Center install an Elekta Synergy
Jill Goetz, Cancer Survivor, Development Coordinator, Bismark Cancer Center
Elekta Synergy has been designed to inspire clinical confidence via IGRT to practice advanced radiation therapy techniques. This combination of high resolution imaging, taken in 3D and at the time (the 4th dimension) of treatment combined with workflow solutions developed to be applicable on a routine basis is described as 4D Adaptive and is the Elekta® IGRT solution.
Elekta Virtual Clinic
The Elekta Virtual Clinic offers an easy way to explore how our solutions can help support healthcare professionals to provide the best possible care for patients.
Click here to view the Elekta Virtual Clinic
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Impac Software Selects 2009 Cancer Registrar of the Year - Deanna Derdelinghen
Recognized for her efforts to promote growth and excellent patient care, Deanna Derdelinghen oversees all aspects of the ACoS, CoC accreditation process, management of related cancer program activities and Stamford’s tumor registry. She also helps with grants and proposals for oncology-related continuing education programs, as well as supports physicians with cancer staging compliance and evidence-based treatment planning tools used to track and measure oncology patient care.
“I’m honored my peers nominated me, fortunate for the opportunities I’ve been given and blessed to be a part of such a fine organization,” says Deanna Derdelinghen. “As Cancer Program Manager, I’m involved in many cancer program activities. This affords me the opportunity to participate in, as well as see first-hand all the wonderful things being done to support our patients.”
Described by coworkers as “an individual who contributes greatly to the battle against cancer,” Deanna’s meticulous record keeping and attention to detail helped Stamford become first in the nation to be named a National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers facility from the American College of Surgeons (ACoS). In addition, Deanna’s efforts also enabled the hospital to achieve commendation status from the ACoS/Commission on Cancer (CoC), as well as receive eight out of nine possible commendations from their last two ACoS Cancer Program surveys.
“Simply the best, Deanna is a great asset to our hospital and community,” says Frank Masino, M.D. and Medical Director of Cancer Services at Stamford Hospital. “Without Deanna’s great intelligence, diligence and passion, our program would not have achieved the status it has in our community. The hospital’s accreditations, resulting largely from Deanna’s guidance, also helps assure patients that our program is being held to the highest standards.”
For latest cancer registry news from Impac Software, visit impac.com/registry.
Institution: Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Germany
Treatment planning system: ADAC Pinnacle V7.6
Positioning: Stryker® Leibinger STX frame
Record-and-verify: Nucletron Oncentra™ 2.1 SP1
Image guidance: VolumeView™ and HexaPOD™
Treatment system: Elekta Synergy® S
Medical Physicist: Dr. Jürgen Meyer
“The combination of Elekta Synergy® S and the HexaPOD™ robotic treatment couch enables more precise treatment of tumors due to better control and increased awareness of the accuracy of the treatment. With Beam Modulator™ a high degree of conformity can be achieved even for intracranial stereotactic treatments”.
Read more on Cranial Stereotactic Radiation Therapy
Cranial Stereotactic Radiation Therapy
Axial dose distribution & Sagittal dose distribution
Deliver a higher dose to the prostate while sparing or minimizing the dose to the rectum, in an effort to reduce or eliminate acute and delayed rectal morbidity. Total session time, including patient positioning, ultrasound-guided targeting, and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) delivery should not exceed 30 minutes, maintaining the existing patient load. Rationale for IMRT approach Radiotherapy planning with PrecisePLAN® IMRT at United Radiation Oncology (URO) demonstrates a considerable decrease in radiation dose to the rectum.
Patient selection
Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and referred to URO receive an initial consultation,consisting of history, physical exam, psychosocial assessment and discussion of treatment options. Candidates for IMRT are those patients with adverse prognostic factors, whose outcome may improve in response to dose escalation.Adequate localization of the prostate via ultrasound is critical, therefore the patient must be able to drink sufficient fluid to fill the bladder.
Read more on this Prostate Cancer Case Study
Located in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province in southeastern China, Fujian Tumor Hospital is a 1,000-bed hospital specializing in cancer treatment, education and research. It treats about 10,000 patients a year. The hospital previously had one Elekta Precise Treatment System™, one Siemens unit and one Theratron cobalt unit. Jianji Pan, M.D., Deputy Director of Fujian Province Tumor Hospital, explains,
“Because we had such a good experience with the Elekta Precise Treatment System and with Elekta services and support, we ordered the Elekta Synergy® system last year. we also ordered the
Elekta Compact
HexaPOD™ evo robotic treatment table and stereotactic accessories for advanced IMRT and IGRT.”
Prof. Pan adds,
“we were treating patients from seven in the morning until 10 at night, and we still had a long patient queue due to the high demand.”
read more about the World’s first Elekta Compact installed in China
Elekta volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is a new intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment technique that combines the market’s only fully digital linear accelerator, 3D volumetric imaging, and advanced treatment planning expertise. This powerful trio delivers a treatment that improves the sparing of critical structures and healthy tissue—in dramatically shorter treatment times—all without comprising target coverage and patient safety.
Conformance. One or multiple arcs for precise dose control resulting in better avoidance of critical structures.
Speed. Dramatically shorter treatment times than current IMRT techniques.
Ultra-low Dose. Allows daily 3D volumetric imaging and fewer MUs.
More info at: http://www.elekta.com/vmat
On-line image guided hypofractionation of a solitary lung metastasis using Elekta Synergy® at West China Hospital, Sichuan University, PR China
Solitary lung metastasis
A 47-year-old male previously treated for adenocarcinoma of the right upper lung presented with a metastasis in the lingua segment of the left upper lobe in March 2006. The metastasis was diagnosed using a contrast enhanced CT scan. The patient was evaluated and elected to proceed with a course of image guided hypofractionated stereotactic radiation therapy. The patient was first diagnosed as having a low-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the right upper lobe of the lung (stage IIIA) in March 2004 with the primary tumor in the upper apical-posterior segment of the right lung, right hilum, and an upper mediastinal lymph node metastasis. The patient was treated with right upper lung lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection followed by adjuvant alternate chemotherapy (vinorelbine 40mg iv drip, days one and eight, cisplatin 50mg, IV drip, days one to three – 21 days per cycle for a total of four cycles) and radiation therapy.
View the entire case study here
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