For Shawn Christie, undergoing radiation treatment at Regional Cancer Care was a long process.
After doctors discovered three tumours in the Thunder Bay man’s neck, he went through 35 radiation therapy sessions, each 35-to-40 minutes long, every Monday-to-Friday.
That was on top of three chemotherapy treatments.
He lost 50 pounds.
Although he’s a cancer survivor today, the process was long and arduous.
But cancer patients now have a new state-of-the-art radiation therapy machine that will cut session times in half.
The cancer centre officially unveiled their new Elekta Infinity Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine Tuesday morning, which will make radiation therapy treatments for cancer patients more efficient and reduce side effects.
“It’s fantastic,” said Christie. “The people who are going to start radiation therapy treatments now are so lucky to have this.”
Radiation oncology coordinator Sunil Gulavita said the most important aspect of the machine is it emits radiation at a much faster rate than other machines, thereby reducing treatment time for patients.
“Some patients, who are in pain, who are uncomfortable on the couch, can have shorter treatment times so they can get out of that environment quickly,” he said, adding it has new radiation techniques the hospital never had before.
It will mean fewer side effects for people because the equipment is more focused. It has a mini CT scan attached to it.
“Before we start the treatment, we can visualize what our target is and we can follow the target while the patient’s having treatment,” Gulavita said.
“It gives more positioned radiation and it gives less side effects to organs around it.”
Faster machines also mean more patients, Gulavita added.
Once they are at full speed in about six months, they’ll be able to see 25 patients a day. That will double when the second LINAC is installed and ready to treat patients in the fall.
“We are excited,” said Gulavita. “The whole team is excited because we are looking at everything new and in the end, it’s the patient that benefits.”
The Infinity LINAC project cost about $8 million, which is largely funded by Cancer Care Ontario.
