Newmarket's Southlake Regional Health Centre didn’t just celebrate World Cancer Day on Feb. 3, the hospital also celebrated the arrival of an Elekta Harmony Linear Accelerator (LINAC).
The machine is the first of its kind in Canada and is being installed in the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre to help improve cancer care.
The Elekta Harmony LINAC is the newest model of radiation treatment machines that customize high energy x-rays or electrons to conform to a tumour’s shape and destroy cancer cells while sparing surrounding normal tissue.
Through Southlake Foundation’s HERE is Where Cancer Meets its Match campaign, the hospital was able to purchase this new machine.
“The impact of what is being accomplished through the generosity of our donors is being felt throughout Stronach Regional Cancer Centre, and by the thousands of patients who depend on us for advanced cancer treatment, close to home,” Jennifer Ritter, president and CEO of Southlake Foundation, said in a news release.
Derek McNally, executive vice-president of clinical services at Southlake, and regional vice-president, Central Regional Cancer Program, said that Southlake is thrilled to be the first hospital in Canada to be installing the machine.
“Thanks to the support of our community, we can continue to ensure Southlake has the best tools and technology in the hands of our staff and medical staff to enable the delivery of high-quality, leading edge care,” he said.
The Elekta Harmony LINAC will begin serving patients later this year and will allow for improved efficiency in the setup and delivery of radiation treatment. This will enable the hospital to treat an additional 7,000 patients annually, according to Southlake.
“This will allow Southlake’s skilled radiation therapists to deliver extremely precise, high doses of radiation to cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue,” said Dr. Woodrow Wells, regional lead, radiation medicine, Central Regional Cancer Program.
The HERE is Where Cancer Meets its Match campaign has now raised $17.2 million of its $20-million goal.
