State-of-the-art radiation therapy is here
The person battling cancer faces a tide of challenges that make life more difficult — feeling ill and worn out, doctor visits, insurance hassles, worries about the future and a multitude of trips to treatment centers for chemotherapy and/or radiation. That’s why Rees Skillern Cancer Institute at CHI Memorial-parkway in Ringgold is pleased to add state-of-the-art radiation treatment to its services.
“Someone undergoing radiation therapy,” says Rees Skillern radiation oncologist Dr. Ryan Cleary, “often needs to receive treatments every day for many weeks. When you’re feeling sick, it’s hard enough without having to travel to another city over and over. We now offer world-class treatment right here.”
The futuristic-looking machine that delivers the treatment to which Cleary refers is a Varian TrueBeam. It is an advanced medical linear accelerator.
Cleary says one of the big advantages of the Truebeam is its precision to the sub-millimeter level. “Radiation can damage surrounding tissue,” says Cleary. “The Truebeam can hone in on much smaller areas and limit or prevent damage to other parts of the body while delivering more powerful doses of radiation to affected areas to eradicate cancer.” Cleary says this can be especially important when dealing with cancers in the area of the head and brain stem.
Cleary grew up with two parents in the medical field — both were physical therapists. But also fueling his interest in medicine — and cancer treatment in particular — was his mother’s childhood experience with cancer that resulted in a leg amputation.