For Immediate Release
June 6, 2002
Contact: Maria E. Ramos
(219) 865-2141, ext. 45321
Maria.Ramos@ssfhs.org

HAMMOND, Ind.—The Radiation Oncology Center at Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers is home to the most advanced radiation therapy technology available to treat cancer. The center is the first in Northwest Indiana to use Siemens PRIMUS™, a medical linear accelerator with the ability to deliver Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). A linear accelerator is a machine that delivers radiation therapy.

IMRT is a ground-breaking cancer treatment that allows the delivery of complex doses of radiation to tumors, including tumors near vital organs or other sensitive areas, while minimizing radiation to healthy tissue. IMRT provides greater benefits to patients by tailoring radiation delivery to the tumor shape with minimal radiation to adjacent healthy tissue, thereby improving recovery time and reducing complications associated with radiation therapy treatments.

Currently, Saint Margaret Mercy is selectively treating breast, head, neck, brain, prostate and pelvic cancers with IMRT.

The IMRT radiation doses are precisely targeted to the tumor with the help of state-of-the-art computer technology that maps and evaluates the tumor and radiation beam arrangements, and electronically delivers radiation treatment that is more tightly focused than traditional radiation therapy.

The Radiation Oncology Center’s linear accelerator is equipped with a 3-dimensional multi-leaf collimator (3-D MLC). "These radiation blocking lead leaves are programmed with a computer to move in and out of the radiation beam for various lengths of time," said Dr. Renate Muller-Runkel, medical physicist and radiation safety officer on staff at Saint Margaret Mercy’s Radiation Oncology Center.

"IMRT forms an envelope of high intensity radiation to conform tightly to the 3-D shape of the tumor regardless of its shape or its proximity to critical organs," adds Dr. Urmi Kalokhe, medical director for the Oncology Center and board-certified radiation oncologist. "It produces much larger gradients of radiation doses between the tumor and surrounding normal structures as compared to conventional radiation." This means that IMRT delivery can sculpt the radiation dose around the tumor, no matter what its shape or location to critical organs.

Because of this dose sculpting capability, IMRT allows Saint Margaret Mercy’s physicians to target more cancer-fighting energy at the tumor, sparing surrounding healthy tissue and reducing side effects associated with traditional radiation therapy.

According to Drs. Kalokhe and Muller-Runkel, this technology may not be applicable to all types of tumors. It may also take a longer time for each treatment delivery as compared to standard radiation because it is important to immobilize the patient accurately for day-to-day treatment.

"It is good to know that Saint Margaret Mercy’s Radiation Oncology Center is able to provide this state-of-the-art technology right in your own backyard," Dr. Kalokhe said.

For more information on Saint Margaret Mercy’s Radiation Oncology Center and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, call the Health Resource Center at 219-933-2100 or 708-891-9111.