News Releases

March 18, 2008
WGHS Brings Latest in Cancer Care to Troup County

Construction has begun on a major renovation and expansion of the Enoch Callaway Cancer Clinic at West Georgia Health System (WGHS). The $2 million project will add 4,726 square feet to the existing clinic. A key feature of the renovation is a 2,112 square foot concrete vault that will house the health system's new Varian iX linear accelerator. The new technology will enable doctors to deliver the most accurate treatments possible without harming healthy surrounding tissue.

The linear accelerator achieves highly accurate tumor targeting by incorporating two new radiation therapy techniques—intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT)

IGRT uses a variety of digital imaging techniques to pinpoint the exact location of a targeted tumor while the patient is in the treatment position and just prior to delivering the treatment. This precision is very important because tumors are not stationary. They can shift and move slightly between treatments, and even during treatments due to normal physiological processes, such as breathing.

Through the IMRT treatment delivery method, clinicians are able to tailor the radiation dose to the shape and thickness of the tumor by modulating—or controlling—the intensity of the radiation beam to focus a higher radiation dose to the tumor while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding normal tissues.

Having both technologies available on one machine is also more convenient for the patient because both imaging and treatment can be done at one time on the same machine.

"It's exciting that we will be able to offer the latest in radiation treatment here in LaGrange," said radiation oncologist Richard Freeman, MD. "This will be a great benefit for the hospital and for residents throughout the region who are living with cancer."

Freeman added that the linear accelerator will help clinicians in complicated treatment situations such as when tumors are extremely close to critical anatomy like the heart, spinal cord, lung, rectum or salivary glands.