Reflections on Giving:
PAMF 2000 Annual Report
Health Care
To sustain hope: New Technologies in Radiation Oncology
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"This Varian technology is really for the person who has to be on that table. Now we can give that person a little more TLC, and deliver a highly accurate treatment with fewer side effects. It's all about helping our patients get through a difficult time in their lives with a lot less discomfort. That's why I'm here. That's why we're all here." Kevin Gaunt, Radiation Therapist, PAMF |
New Technologies in Radiation Oncology Cancer patients who hope for a cure must often endure months of arduous treatments involving radiation, chemotherapy and other interventions. At PAMF's Radiation Oncology Department, one of the first outpatient facilities in the nation ever to use high-energy radiation therapy, that hope is reinforced by some of the most advanced cancer treatment technologies available today.
Radiation therapy is most often delivered through high-energy X-rays or electrons, which are produced by a linear accelerator and focused directly on the area of the body where a tumor is located. "The amount of time a person spends on the table getting radiation treatment averages about ten minutes," explains PAMF radiation therapist Kevin Gaunt, "but the actual time for delivering the dosage is only about 10 seconds."
While innovative treatment methods promise to improve cure rates for many cancers, the cost of new technologies often places them beyond the reach of many medical institutions. One of the ways PAMF has addressed this challenge is to enter into corporate partnerships with medical technology companies. In many cases, this allows us to purchase equipment at a reduced cost in exchange for serving as a demonstration and evaluation site for the technology.
One such partnership was created in late 1999 with Varian Medical Systems, the world's leading manufacturer of integrated cancer therapy systems. As a result of the agreement with Varian, and a generous gift from donor Paul Petersen and his family, PAMF was able to acquire two Varian Clinac® 23EX medical linear accelerators when we moved to our new campus in December 1999.
"Before we had this technology, we had to constantly double-check each other," explains Gaunt. "Every patient's setup requires about 20 different adjustments, from field size and beam shape, to where the patient is positioned on the table. The Varian linear accelerator not only delivers a precise dose, but also produces fewer side effects for our patients." The ease of use and accuracy of the Varian system are particularly important in a department that typically treats four patients per hour, eight hours a day.
Concurrent with the installation of the new Varian systems, PAMF's Radiation Oncology Department was designated as an official Varian Learning Center, one of only two centers of its kind in the country and the only one in the western United States. "Cancer specialists have travelled from Asia, Europe, Scandinavia and all over just to see this Varian technology in action," says radiation oncologist Gordon Ray. "When they see these linear accelerators being used in a clinical setting similar to their own, they can more easily understand how these technologies can benefit their own patients."
The success of PAMF's corporate partnership with Varian has led to an expansion of our relationship. In May 2001, PAMF and Varian put plans in place to bring Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) to our Radiation Oncology Department. This sophisticated technology combines 3-D treatment planning and precisely shaped "beamlets" to pinpoint radiation dosage for irregularly shaped tumors, reducing the margin of error to almost zero and minimizing side effects for patients.
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