The linear accelerator treats cancer with less damage to healthy tissue.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
WARREN — Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital's new Regional Radiation Oncology Center is a one-stop radiation treatment center for cancer patients.
Located at 1353 E. Market St., and connected by a skywalk over Market Street to the hospital across the street, the facility began accepting patients March 16.
It is convenient for patients because they can receive physician examinations, get CT (computerized tomography) scans used to plan their treatment, and receive radiation treatments all on one floor of one building, said Dr. Eric Svenson, the center's medical director.
It provides cancer patients who need radiation therapy with separation from the main hospital, and it also has parking immediately outside the entrance to the ground-level treatment facility waiting room, said Todd Hickey, TMH vice president for clinical services.
The center's official dedication is from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, and a community open house and tours are the same day from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Renovation project
The $5 million radiation oncology center is part of a $17 million renovation project at TMH that includes expansion of the emergency department, officials said.
The move to the new facility, which has more room than was available in the main hospital, was the result of increased patient volume and market share, Hickey said.
The radiation oncology center sees about 350 patients a year, and some 30 patients a day, said Darla Habosky, lead radiation therapist.
Plans are to house TMH's medical oncology department on the second floor of the three-story building. The third floor has physician office space and space that is not being used, Hickey said.
The stand-alone radiation oncology center includes three examination rooms, a simulator room to prepare patients for treatment and a $1.4 million advanced linear accelerator.
The linear accelerator is a computer-controlled device that can deliver a uniform, precise dose of high-energy X-ray to the region of the cancer patient's tumor while doing less damage to healthy tissues around the cancerous area.
The linear accelerator is housed in a room with lead and concrete walls from ceiling to the floor to keep radiation from escaping, Habosky added.
The radiation beam comes out of a part of the accelerator, called a gantry, which rotates around the patient. Radiation can be delivered to the tumor from any angle by rotating the gantry and moving the treatment couch, officials said.
During treatment, the radiation therapist watches the patient through a closed-circuit television monitor. There also is a microphone in the treatment room so the patient can speak to the radiation therapist if necessary.
Survivors' artwork
The center's halls are decorated with artwork created over the past three years by cancer survivors, said Amber Wallace, director of philanthropy for the Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Wallace said the TMH Foundation has reached $3.3 million of its $4 million fund-raising goal for the hospital's Regional Radiation Oncology Center, Center for Emergency Medicine and connector bridge over East Market Street.