BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
OCTOBER 2015 | National AWARENESS MONTH
Expanded Care center is state-of-art
Cancer patients in the region now have a new state-of-the-art cancer treatment center that will provide the most comprehensive care possible in Aroostook County. TAMC will be showcasing its newly renovated and expanded cancer treatment center during an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony in Presque Isle on Saturday, October 10.
“Improving cancer outcomes is the ultimate goal all cancer providers strive to achieve,” said Dr. Arjun Sood, the lead oncologist at TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care Center. “We are all excited about the new level of patient-centered, evidence-based and quality-oriented care, convenience and comfort that our new comprehensive Aroostook Cancer Care Center will provide to our patients.”
TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care Center will now offer both radiation therapy services and the medical oncology/hematology practice in one convenient location. A year-long construction project has improved and expanded treatment areas and created a more home-like or private surrounding to accommodate medical and family needs.
Most exciting has been the addition of a new Varian linear accelerator (LINAC) to deliver tumor-shrinking radiation therapy. Radiation treatment is not new at TAMC, which is the only facility north of Bangor to provide such cancer fighting therapy; however, equipment was nearing the end of its lifespan and needed to be replaced.
A linear accelerator speeds electrons toward a target to generate a radiation beam aimed at a patient’s tumor. Many patients at TAMC are treated using a technique called Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). With the new Varian linear accelerator, IMRT treatments are performed using a computer-controlled mechanism, which continually shapes the radiation beam and varies the intensity in real time, meaning improved care and convenience for patients.
Previously, molds that targeted the radiation beam had to be made for each patient and then changed manually by staff up to nine times during each treatment, which added to the amount of time patients had to spend on the treatment table.
The new linear accelerator will also be capable of advanced treatments such as Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT).
These new capabilities mean more accurate treatments that can be accomplished in with shorter treatment times, minimizing radiation damage to healthy tissue and improving patient outcomes.
“With the new linear accelerator, we can deliver state-of-the-art precision radiation in higher doses than before directly to the tumor while minimizing side effects. We will soon be able to offer stereotactic radiation treatments as a curative alternative for some early stage lung cancers,” said Dr. Marco Naguib, lead radiation oncologist at TAMC.
Electronic medical record (EMR) and treatment planning systems are also fully integrated with the LINAC. The full integration of computer software and equipment will mean that once a treatment plan is made it will automatically communicate that plan to the linear accelerator enabling a 100 percent accurate treatment. This software also aligns TAMC’s Aroostook Cancer Care Center to Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Lafayette Cancer Center in Brewer.
For the medical oncology/hematology half of the Center, a renovated treatment area offers a great deal more comfort and convenience for patients, according to Brenda Baker, manager of the Aroostook Cancer Care Center.
“The atrium is open and roomy, a lot less cramped than our previous treatment area. A number of large windows overlook our healing garden and new comfortable chairs offer heat and massage options, both adding a lot to patients’ comfort during long hours of treatment,” explained Baker. “We also have some private areas available for people who need it during this trying time for patients and their families.”
Community members are invited to tour the new Aroostook Cancer Care Center at TAMC’s A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle on Saturday, October 10. Guided tours will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m., breaking for a brief dedication and ribbon cutting at 10 a.m.
The LINAC, the new patient atrium where patients receive chemotherapy treatments and a healing garden outside of the atrium will all be featured during the tour.
