Vim & Vigor - Summer 2017 - Community Healthcare - 55

Hobart resident Nancy Hall is feeling
great and able to play with her
grandson again after being treated at
St. Mary Medical Center with TrueBeam
technology for stage 1 lung cancer.

advanced radiation therapy in treating
cancer with radiosurgery.
Radiosurgery is a noninvasive treatment technique used primarily to
diminish or eradicate tumors. It is
most suitable for small, well-defined
tumors that can be seen in imaging,
such as CT or MRI scans. Despite the
use of the word "surgery" in its name,
radiosurgery does not involve removing
the tumor with a surgical knife. Instead,
a focused high-intensity beam of radiation is used to target the tumor while
minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
"The sophisticated imaging and radiation delivery system of our TrueBeam
system allows us the flexibility to customize treatments for an individual's
particular cancer," says Koppolu Sarma,
MD, radiation oncologist. "We may use
radiosurgery techniques when conventional radiotherapy is not an appropriate
option for a patient's particular case.
It also can be used as the first line of
treatment for some tumors or for
tumors that are otherwise inaccessible
for open surgery."
For Hall, the small size and localization
of the nodule in her lung made SBRT a
good choice to treat her tumor.
"We were able to treat Nancy's nodule with only three treatments," says
Quackenbush. "We were fortunate to
catch it before it spread. We have to
credit her diligence in following up with
her lung screenings."
To prepare for her radiosurgery, Hall
underwent a series of imaging scans
to allow her radiation oncologists to
design treatment based on the exact

size and location of her tumor. Taking
into account her medical history, type
of tumor, lab results and other factors, doctors were able to determine
the amount of radiation to be delivered, the appropriate angles from
which to deliver it and the number of
sessions it would take to deliver the
prescribed treatments.
"I had heard horror stories about
receiving radiation-that it was confined and you couldn't move for long
periods of time," Hall says. "This was
totally different. It was 10 minutes
from my home, and I only needed three
treatments. Each lasted a half-hour
to 45 minutes. They even played '60s
music-which is my type of music-
while I was in there. I was ready to get
up and dance!" she says.
"TrueBeam is truly a game-changer
for these cancer patients-a faster,
smarter, more powerful treatment in our
fight against cancer," says Janice Ryba,
CEO of St. Mary Medical Center. "Our
Community Health Needs Assessment
reflects the continued prevalence of

cancer in our community. Lung cancer,
in particular, has become the leading
cause of cancer death for both men
and women in the United States, including Northwest Indiana. To be able to
offer this level of technology, in the
expert hands of our radiation oncology
team, is rewarding and demonstrates
our commitment to provide the highest level of cancer care throughout
our community." n

WEBSITE

Cancer Care
To learn more about TrueBeam
technology, available at
St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart
and Community Hospital
in Munster, and advanced
cancer care at the hospitals of
Community Healthcare System,
visit www.comhs.org.

SUMME R 2017

55
http://www.comhs.org
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