MDNews - Greater Kansas

Ascension Via Christi CyberKnife Center Most patients diagnosed with cancer aren't eager to spend months getting treatment or recovering from surgery. But patient s refer red for treatment at Ascension Via Christi CyberKnife Center in Wichita don't have to, because CyberKnife can hone in on lethal cancerous or unhealthy tissue with pinpoint precision in just one to five treatments a nd requires no incisions or sedation. As a result, keeping up with patients' a nd physicia ns' demand for this lifesaving and time-saving cancer treatment of choice is becoming increasingly challenging, according to David Bryant, MD, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology for Ascension Via Christi's Wichita hospitals. To meet the growing demand, Ascension Via Christi's CyberKnife Center — the only one in Kansas — is expanding. "Patients battling cancer want to get back to their lives as quickly, painlessly and safely as possible," says Keisha Humphries, RN, who leads Oncology Services at Ascension Via Christi. "This expansion is an investment in them and the entire Ascension Via Christi Cancer Center team, who are committed to ensuring patients have access to leading-edge treatment and technology." Why CyberKnife? Intensity-modulated radiation therapy vs. CyberKnife (average number of treatments): IMRT CyberKnife Prostate 44 5 Lung 33 3 to 4 Meningioma 28 1 Expanding to Meet Growing Demand David Bryant, MD Education Internship and residency: Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical school: The University of Chicago Board certification: American Board of Radiology; radiation oncology The first phase of the expansion, a software upgrade that will allow treatment planning to be done more quickly, was completed this past summer. The second yearlong phase is now underway. That phase includes the construction of a new vault to house the center's new CyberKnife M6 robot, which can be used to treat 16–20 patients per day versus the eight or nine being treated with the current system. Completion is expected next summer. Salman Hasan, DO, who recently completed his residency in radiation oncology at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Texas, joined the Ascension Via Christi Radiation Oncology team in August and will further expand the team's capacity. Additionally, radiation oncologist Jon Anders, MD, continues to see patients in Hutchinson and Winfield. To refer a patient or schedule a physician-to-physician consult, call 316-268-3200. For more information about cancer care at Ascension Via Christi, visit viachristi.org/cancer. n Salman Hasan, DO Education Internship and residency: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Medical school: Texas A&M Health Science Center Board certification: Board-eligible, American Board of Radiology; radiation oncology The Ascension Via Christi CyberKnife Center — the only one in Kansas — is being expanded. The first phase of that expansion is now complete and a third radiation oncologist has joined the team. 1 4 1 4❱❱❱❱❱ S P E C I A L C L I N I C A L F E A T U R E : G A S T R O E N T E R O L O G Y

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