Cancer center's new wing to house state-of-the-art treatment equipment
The TomoTherapy Hi-Art System allows more accurate diagnosis and treatment of tumors.
Construction is under way on a new wing of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center that will house revolutionary cancer treatment equipment.
When completed, the facility will feature the only TomoTherapy Hi-Art System in Kentucky and one of just four being used nationwide to treat cancer patients.
The system is the first of its kind, providing 3-D imaging of tumors immediately prior to treatment and delivering therapeutic radiation from 360 degrees.
Besides permitting more accurate identification and treatment of cancerous tumors, the system reduces the exposure of healthy tissue to unnecessary radiation and cuts treatment time for patients.
The TomoTherapy Hi-Art System can be used to treat a variety of cancers including prostate, breast, lung and brain cancers.
"We are extremely excited to have this cutting-edge technology," said William Spanos, M.D., chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Louisville.
"It will have tremendous positive impact for our patients. The ability to do 3-D imaging immediately before each treatment to verify the location of a tumor is a great benefit, as tumors can move between treatments.
"We will now have confidence that we are precisely targeting the tumor."
Before treatment, each patient moves through the Hi Art system for a 3-D scan called called VRCT -- short for Verification/Registration Computed Tomography. The resulting images verify the shape, size and location of the tumor.
Physicians then determine radiation dosages and targeting before the patient is moved through the Hi-Art system a second time. Radiation is precisely delivered to the tumor in a helical pattern that rotates a full 360 degrees.
The new wing will feature 4,300 square feet of floor space. Construction is projected to cost approximately $1.8 million and is scheduled to be complete by March 2004.
Meanwhile, the cancer center itself is undergoing an $8 million renovation that will convert the entire building into clinical space. The renovation will support the center's focus on translational research, officials said.
