May 03, 2021
Physicians at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper are now treating patients with a groundbreaking new image-guided radiation treatment that allows oncologists to track and monitor the movement of tumors during radiation treatment in real time. MD Anderson at Cooper is the first in New Jersey and the Philadelphia Region, and one of only five in the nation, to acquire this advanced delivery system.
The technology, known as the MR-Linac, combines a powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MR) machine and a linear accelerator into a single device. When these two tools are combined, radiation oncologists are able to see cancerous tumors more clearly (in high definition/high contrast), and are better able to target beams of radiation at the tumor, keeping the surrounding healthy tissue safe.
For the cancer patient, this level of precision in their radiation therapy can mean fewer side effects, faster recovery, and potentially better outcomes because every treatment session is adjusted and customized based on the tumor’s current location, size, and shape.
The MR-Linac system also tracks tumors from one treatment to the next. This allows the team to adjust the radiation delivery to target the tumor as it changes in size, shape, or position. This helps protect healthy tissue around the tumor reducing side effects to the patient.
Personalized MR-guided radiation treatment is available for every type of tumor, including rare and hard-to-treat cancers, such as:
• Colorectal cancer
• Brain tumors
• Head and neck cancer
• Lung cancer
• Melanoma
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Liver cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
“This is an exciting time for us and tremendous news for patients needing radiation therapy,” said Anthony Dragun, MD, chair and chief of Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson at Cooper. “It gives our multidisciplinary team more treatment options, especially for patients with complex and metastatic cancers, and deliver truly personalized cancer care.”
Treatment with this new device is available at MD Anderson at Cooper’s outpatient center located at 715 Fellowship Road in Mount Laurel, NJ. You can request an appointment here.
MD Anderson at Cooper will continue to offer a full range of advanced radiation therapy treatment options at its Camden and Voorhees locations. For more information about MD Anderson at Cooper as well as this and other treatment options, click here.
