Mary Washington Healthcare Regional Cancer Center Receives New TrueBeam Linear Accelerator

Fredericksburg, VA – Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) Regional Cancer Center is proud to announce the arrival of its new and state-of-the-art, TrueBeam Linear Accelerator.

TrueBeam is a radiotherapy device and linear accelerator, manufactured by Varian. The system dynamically synchronizes imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery. It is a versatile platform that can be used for all forms of advanced radiotherapy modalities including Image Guided Radiotherapy, Image Guided Radiosurgery, Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy, Volumetric Intensity Modulated Arc Therapy, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy, and conventional and 3-D conformal radiotherapy.

“At the MWHC Regional Cancer Center, we continue to provide breakthrough treatments using some of the most advanced technology available for radiation treatment today,” says John Chinault, MD, Medical Director, Radiation Oncology, MWHC Regional Cancer Center. “Examples include an improved breath-holding technique for breast cancer patients to lower radiation doses to the heart. Also included is the latest surface imaging technique provided by Brain Lab, which uses a light field to model the patient’s body contour and compare it to a reference so positioning adjustments can be made in real-time. This allows us to fine-tune the radiation area each day of treatment. Our sophisticated equipment allows our radiation oncology team to tailor treatment to the individual needs of each patient, using the most precise, noninvasive, and comfortable options available.”

The Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerator:

• Rotates around the patient to deliver a prescribed radiation dose from nearly any angle.
• Generates 3D images in 60 percent less time than is required with other imaging technologies, with the potential for a 25 percent reduction in X-ray dose to the patient.
• Features an accessory called a multileaf collimator (or MLC), which shapes the beam. It has computer-controlled “leaves” or “fingers” that create apertures of different shapes and sizes. The leaves sculpt the beam to match the 3-D shape of the tumor. These can move and change during treatment to target the tumor and minimize the dose to the surrounding healthy tissue.
• Features real-time imaging tools that allow clinicians to “see” the tumor they are about to treat, allowing them to treat tumors with accuracy measured in submillimeter.

Types of Cancers Treated with the TrueBeam Linear Accelerator

• Brain/Spine Tumors
• Breast Cancer
• Gastrointestinal Cancers
• Gynecologic Tumors
• Head & Neck Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Prostate and Genitourinary Cancers

To learn more about our cancer services, visit cancer.mwhc.com.

About Mary Washington Healthcare

Mary Washington Healthcare is a fully integrated, regional medical system that provides inpatient and outpatient care through over 50 facilities including Mary Washington Hospital, a 471-bed regional medical center, and Stafford Hospital, a 100-bed community hospital. Mary Washington Healthcare is a non-profit health system with a longstanding commitment to providing care regardless of ability to pay. For more information about our services and facilities, visit mwhc.com.