Northside Hospital Offers Latest
Non-Invasive Radiation Cancer Treatment

New technology and expert staff make Northside Hospital the largest and one of the most respected providers of cancer care services in Georgia.  More cases of cancer are diagnosed and treated at Northside each year than at any other hospital in Georgia.  And now, Northside Hospital has expanded its radiation therapy services to include stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), the latest non-invasive radiation therapy treatment.

Nearly two-thirds of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy at some point during their treatment.  SRS is a form of radiation therapy that focuses high-powered x-rays onto a small area.  Conventional radiation therapy directs radiation to the tumor and nearby healthy tissue, while SRS more precisely focuses a higher-dose of radiation onto the cancerous area, better protecting the healthy tissue around the tumor.  Patients benefit from a faster, more effective and less invasive procedure, with less discomfort, fewer side effects and a much quicker recovery.

The Trilogy™ system from Varian Medical Systems is the most state-of-the-art, powerful and versatile cancer treatment technology available.  In addition to delivering conventional forms of radiation therapy, the Trilogy system can be used stereotactically to treat very small tumors, whether they are in the body or the brain, quickly and with unprecedented precision.  Many patients often need both forms of treatment and the Trilogy can do it all.

“Other hospitals in Atlanta have stereotactic machines, which all do pretty much the same thing,” says Janet Brumfield, manager of the Cancer Center at Northside Hospital.  “It’s not just the state-of-the-art technology that leads to better outcomes, but rather it is the experience of the staff that are using it that makes the critical difference.”

For more than 30 years, Northside Hospital’s Cancer Care Program has offered clinical excellence equal to most academic-based programs and the personalized, compassionate care that is typically associated with a community hospital.  The program staffs a multidisciplinary team of professionals that includes:

• Board Certified Radiation Oncologists and Neurosurgeons, specifically credentialed in SRS procedures
• Medical Physicists, Technologists and Nurses, specially trained in radiation oncology
• A wide array of allied health professionals to support the patients’ emotional and spiritual needs

Northside understands how overwhelming the journey is that a patient and their family take.  In addition to the clinical staff, a “patient navigator” helps with the details by coordinating each step of the patient’s experience – from the time of the initial consult with the radiation oncologist through the final procedure – scheduling appointments, arranging for consults and providing assistance with hotel accommodations and family support services. And all testing and treatment is available in one convenient location – the Northside Hospital Cancer Center.

A unique feature of the Trilogy is its built in on-board imaging (OBI) that allows physicians to provide real-time positioning and targeting of the tumor.  Image-guided technology determines the exact location of the tumor before the procedure begins and tracks the patient’s position for any changes and motion during the procedure.  OBI ensures more accurate treatments because the radiation is always properly directed to the tumor.

Northside’s Cancer Care Program is fully accredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer and has been consistently for more than 25 years.  In fact, the ACOS awards approval based on compliance with 36 cancer program standards, and Northside received an Outstanding Achievement Award based on full compliance in all 36 areas and several areas of commendation.

For more information about the Cancer Care Program and Stereotactic Radiosurgery Services available at Northside Hospital, visit www.northside.com.

Northside Hospital is a 537-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving North Metro Atlanta. Northside has one of the largest medical staffs in the Southeast with more than 1,800 physicians and 5,000 employees. This highly skilled team of professionals served more than 430,000 patient visits in 2006. While primarily known for its expertise in women’s services, Northside Hospital provides comprehensive cancer care, cardiology and other medical specialties, emergency services, surgical services, outpatient treatment and behavioral services. Northside Hospital is dedicated to delivering optimum patient care and achieves this goal by embracing technological advances, striving for clinical excellence and never forgetting that every patient deserves to be treated with respect and compassion.