Treating Cancer with New Technology
Article courtesy of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, for Colorado Springs SENIOR Magazine
You’ve been hearing a lot about our “Love Heals” philosophy lately. But in this issue we want to talk about our technology because Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers offer the most advanced cancer care technology in the region.
We are on the cutting edge of radiation therapy treatments, bringing greater benefits to more patients in our community. For example, we offer Partial Breast Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. This is a very long name for a revolutionary method of treatment that makes the process (and the time spent in treatment) much simpler for people diagnosed with breast cancer.
In practical terms what this means for some patients with breast cancer is less radiation and more precision by treating just part of the breast. It requires no needles, no balloons. The treatments take 15 minutes, twice a day and are completed in five days instead of six weeks
Partial Breast IMRT achieves these remarkable results by changing the intensity of the radiation beam when it is focused on different parts of the breast. But because the intensity of the beam can be more precisely adjusted, it results in a much more condensed period of treatment time than traditional radiation therapy.
This treatment is currently a clinical research study, and is not appropriate for every type of breast cancer. You should talk to one of our oncologists to determine if it is appropriate for you, a family member or a friend.
In addition to Partial Breast IMRT, we offer more standardized treatment options as well.
Complementing our radiation therapy technology is our imaging department. When oncologists treat a patient, one of the ways they measure how effectively a treatment plan is working is by evaluating the images from a PET/CT scan.
PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. PET scans are safe and can be performed in only a few hours as an outpatient procedure. PET produces images of the body’s biological functions, specifically glucose metabolism. X-rays, CTs, ultrasounds and MRIs show structure and anatomy. When used together in a PET/CT scan, the final interpretation includes metabolic and anatomic information in one study.
PET images can provide important information about many conditions, including several different types of cancer, to help a patient’s doctor plan the most appropriate treatment including targeting the cancer for radiation.
Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers has a permanent PET/CT scanner at our Circle Drive location. We combine this technology—the finest in the region—with the healing power of love. You may have read about that in these pages in a previous issue of Colorado Springs SENIOR Magazine. If you’d like to learn more about Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, including our technology, our treatment and our people, either log on to www.RockyMountainCancerCenters.com or call us at 719-577-2555 or 719-444-4800.
