Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/79506
MetroHealth Invests $5.4 Million to Cure Cancer By Jill Wodtley C ANCER-RELATED DEATHS ARE declining according to the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, which was released on March 28, 2012. National Cancer Institutes (NCI) director Harold E. Varmus, MD, says it is "important to note that investments we make today are critical if we hope to see these declines ... reflected in (the) future." Toward that goal, the MetroHealth Cancer Care Center recently invested $5.4 million in radiation oncology technology to improve the treatment of cancer for patients in northeast Ohio. The new technology will shorten treat- ment times and improve the accuracy, precision and individualization of special- ized cancer treatments. "MetroHealth is dedicated to offering the highest quality care possible," says Mary Weir-Boylan, vice president of Ambulatory Operations. "This is a significant commitment to the Cancer Care Center, not only financially but strategically, to ensure we provide the best cancer treatment for our patients and the community." MetroHealth is one of an elite group of hospitals accredited by the Commission on Cancer and the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. These designations recognize MetroHealth's commitment to providing the highest level of cancer care. In keeping with this commitment, MetroHealth was reportedly the first cancer center in the region to offer PET/ CT for immediate, precise tumor detec- tion and localization of various types of cancers, including breast, esophageal, cervical, melanoma, lymphoma, lung, colorectal, ovarian, and head and neck. The newest technology acquisitions are along the same lines. "MetroHealth's significant invest- ment in advanced radiation oncology equipment and facilities complements the advanced care the expert physi- cians, nurses, social workers and patient navigators provide to every patient who walks through our doors," says Timothy O'Brien, MD, director of the Cancer Care Center. "With the addition of this new technology, MetroHealth has become one of the most advanced, high-quality cancer treatment facilities in Northeast Ohio." MetroHealth Cancer Care Center's Peter Laye, MD, Director of Radiation Oncology (left), and Ravindra Kulasekere, PhD, Director of Clinical Medical Physics (right), offer patients high quality radiation therapy treatments using a new Varian Trilogy linear accelerator — the only one of its kind in Northeast Ohio. SPECIAL FEATURE