For Immediate Release January 16, 2006

Contact:

Brian Reardon (217) 544-6464, ext. 44306

St. John’s Cancer Institute offers precision, high-dose radiation treatment;
joins national research group

Springfield– Central and southern Illinois cancer patients now have access to the latest technology for targeting tumors with precise, high-dose radiation. Called IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy), this represents a giant leap in radiation treatment. IMRT traditionally has been associated with major cancer centers such as M.D. Anderson in Texas and Sloan-Kettering in New York. A specially trained team at St. John’s, led by radiation oncologists Drs. Bruce Shevlin and James Wynstra, is now using IMRT to treat patients with prostate, breast, head and neck and other cancers.

“Until now, most radiation has been delivered as a single, large beam passing through the body from one direction,” said Dr. Shevlin. “IMRT provides unprecedented precision of pinpoint beams delivered to the tumor from many angles. This means we can safely deliver higher doses to the tumor with minimal exposure to normal tissue and organs. In addition, IMRT allows more uniformity of dose for treating curved surfaces such as the breast.”

IMRT benefits patients with head and neck cancers, for example, because it minimizes radiation damage to the salivary glands. Conventional therapy radiates all the lymph node groups, including the salivary glands, often leaving a patient’s mouth completely and permanently dry. Without saliva, the patient’s ability to swallow and taste is impaired.

Similarly, for prostate cancer patients, IMRT minimizes radiation exposure to the rectum and bladder, which reduces the incidence of rectal bleeding and urinary side effects that often occur with conventional radiation. Pediatric cancer patients also are candidates for IMRT.

“By controlling the dose of radiation so precisely, the treatment team can safely deliver a higher dose of radiation to the tumor, while sparing nearby structures,” adds Dr. Shevlin. “This can actually achieve higher cure rates along with lower side effects.”

IMRT treatment is customized to each patient. It starts with taking dozens of 3-D images of the tumor and surrounding tissue with a special CT scanner. Sophisticated treatment planning software uses these images to map the tumor and sculpt radiation beams to conform to the exact size, shape and location of the tumor. Physicians and technicians use this information to design radiation beams of varying intensity, using simulation to confirm their findings.

A device called a multi-leaf collimator has up to 120 individually adjusted metal leaves that move across the patient, blocking out some areas and filtering others to vary the beam intensity and distribute the radiation dosage. The beams are delivered by a linear accelerator from various angles, intersecting at the tumor site.

IMRT treatments usually are given over four to eight weeks. The total dose of radiation and the number of treatments given depend on the size, location and type of cancer, the patient's general health and other medical therapy the patient is receiving. The painless, outpatient treatment sessions generally take between 15 and 30 minutes.

St. John’s Cancer Institute joins national research group

The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) is a clinical research component of the American College of Radiology (ACR). RTOG is a multi-institutional international clinical cooperative group funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute. RTOG has over 30 years of experience in conducting clinical trials and is comprised of over 250 major research institutions in the United States and Canada. The group currently is conducting more than 40 active studies that involve radiation therapy alone; in conjunction with surgery and/or chemotherapeutic drugs; or which investigate quality of life issues and their effects on the cancer patient.

Membership in RTOG provides St. John's Hospital with the ability to treat cancer patients with the latest state-of-the art treatment, or the best standard treatment for their disease, which might not otherwise be available to them. By putting patients on clinical trials, St. John's enhances its ability to do research and increases its knowledge base to treat cancer. RTOG allows community physicians in Springfield to offer their cancer patients cutting-edge clinical research protocols, initiated by nationwide clinical research groups. In the past, patients may have had to travel to St. Louis or Chicago in order to be treated in these studies.

An Affiliate of Hospital Sisters Health System