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locally. Patients receive the same quality of care here close to home as they would at the main center in Buffalo. That is the uniqueness of our program. We provide the full Roswell experience." From treatment pla nning, to peer review, quality assurance and treatment delivery, the center's approach is designed to deliver the same quality of care that is provided in Buffalo. Throughout the process, Dr. Mathew and her team rely on the resea rch backing a nd clinica l expertise of Roswell Park in Buffalo. "All protocols, whether medical oncol- ogy or radiation oncology in Oneida, are common across Roswell Park physicians," Dr. Mathew says. PLANNING TAILOR-MADE TREATMENT In treatment pla nning, the goa l is to always preserve as much healthy tissue as possible using the A L A R A (as low as reasonably achievable) approach to radiation dosages, while still effectively treating the cancer site and achieving the best patient outcome. During the treatment planning phase, Dr. Mathew conducts anatomical contouring using CT images, which is both an art and a science to treatment planning. " We deter m i ne what to treat a nd what to spare," Mathew says. "Radiation therapy is not a recipe that can be fol- lowed for everyone. We are providing personalized treatment plans. It is more of a tailored approach." U s i n g a n o n s i t e C T s i m u l a t o r, Dr. Mathew and her team use advanced imag ing techniques a nd sof twa re to deliver precise dosages while ta king every measure to minimize the expo- sure to hea lthy tissue. In some cases, Dr. Mathew can also take advantage of other imaging moda lities including a new PET/CT and 3 Tesla MRI available at Oneida Health to fuse images for more invasive tumors. When more complex cases are pre- sented at the center, Dr. Mathew has the advantage of Roswell Park's tumor board. The tumor board is a multidisciplinary team of Roswell Park medical and radia- tion oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and surgical oncologists who are among the best in the nation. This team ensures that the treatment plan is the right one. "Roswell is a comprehensive cancer center, so we can lean on our team to come up with the most appropriate plan," Dr. Mathew says. "This is particularly beneficial to the patients as they benefit from their specialized expertise. That is the beaut y of collaborating with a comprehensive cancer center." PEER-REVIEW BY DISEASE-SITE SPECIALISTS Once a treatment plan has been designed by Dr. Mathew, it is presented at a peer- review conference where all the Roswell park radiation oncologists examine the treatment plan. This process is adhered to for every patient. The peer-review board has disease-site specialists who perform a rigorous rev iew of ever y proposed Maya Mathew, MD, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology During the treatment planning phase, Dr. Mathew and Roswell Park Dosimetrist, Vanessa Rundle, MS, CMD, RT(R)(T), conduct anatomical contouring using CT images, which is both an art and a science to advanced treatment planning. Patients benefit from on-site simulation CT and advanced imaging located conveniently on campus. Rossi is pictured. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K ■ 2 0 21 1 7