Annual Report 2003
	Letter from the Chairmen
	Medical and Radiation Oncology Services
	Introducing IMRT
	90 Years of Experience
	Plans Announced for New Outpatient Center
	Named Best Employer for Working Parents
	Forty-Three Years of Service Leaves Quite a Legacy
	Ways of Giving
	Nine Decades of Service
	Missions & Values Statement

Grand View Hospital Introduces IMRT —
The Most Advanced System for Targeting and Destroying Cancer Tissues

Grand View Hospital continues to provide new innovations and interventions that benefit patient care. The most recent example is the acquisition of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) capabilities.

When radiation therapy is prescribed, physicians must always balance the benefits of the therapy against the damage that radiation causes to surrounding healthy tissues and organs. Using IMRT, radiation oncologists and technologists can utilize complex computer software to plot the delivery of optimal doses of radiation to a cancerous tumor while avoiding or minimizing the exposure of healthy tissue. Grand View Hospital has made a significant investment to acquire the equipment and expertise needed to provide this new synthesis of a high-powered linear accelerator with complex computer software.

“IMRT is a refinement and more precise method of utilizing three-dimensional image planning, which has been in use at Grand View for a number of years,” said Martin Hightower, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Grand View. “IMRT takes radiation therapy one step further by using computer software to plan for more precise radiation dosage. It allows the computer to break down a field (or beam) of radiation into a customized radiation beam that matches the exact shape of the patient’s tumor. IMRT technology then allows us to deliver higher doses of radiation with more accuracy while avoiding healthy structures.”

IMRT Utilizes Inverse Planning

According to Dorothy Barwis, R.T.(T), Manager of Radiation Oncology at Grand View Hospital, “IMRT is a very different method of treatment planning involving a technique known as ‘inverse planning.’ The radiation oncologist prescribes the dosage of radiation to be delivered to the tumor, and the limitations on dosage to the surrounding tissue.

“The IMRT software is then used to determine the precise angle and shape needed for the radiation field. In effect, the physician tells the computer the result he or she would like to obtain, and the computer plots precisely how that result can be achieved. Therefore the IMRT requires special, extremely sophisticated computer programs to design the proper dosage. It also requires a highly skilled physics and dosimetry staff, which Grand View has.”

For more information on IMRT, call the Grand View Cancer Information Line at (215) 453-4878 or consult your physician.

Dorothy Barwis, R.T.(T), and Martin Hightower, M.D. “Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy is a tremendous clinical advance. It allows the Radiation Oncology team to focus the highest possible dose of radiation on a cancerous tumor, while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue, thereby reducing the risk of side effects.” — Martin Hightower, M.D. The Benefits of IMRT Potential for improved cure rates. As it spares healthy tissue, IMRT enables patients to receive higher doses of radiation. Clinical studies indicate that higher doses of radiation are more likely to be effective in the destruction of cancerous tumors. Potential for fewer side effects. Radiation damage is a side effect of many treatment modalities. IMRT allows health professionals to more precisely target a tumor while sparing healthy tissue. More treatment options. High levels of exposure of healthy tissue to radiation often leads to cessation of therapy. IMRT spares healthy tissue, allowing treatment to continue. Broader applications. While many feasible applications for IMRT are still being investigated, the therapy in general brings the advantages of radiation therapy to a wider range of cancer patients, including those with tumors hidden or blocked by healthy organs, or tumors located close to vital organs. Better quality of life. IMRT is non-invasive, and has a lower risk of side effects. Most patients have few or no ill effects due to the treatment itself.