• 3/29/2005
  • Mobile, AL
  • PRNewswire (www.prnewswire.com)

Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, has begun treating patients once thought to have inoperable brain ailments with the new Trilogy(TM) stereotactic system, from Varian Medical Systems. The system allows the highly trained physicians at Providence to perform non-invasive brain treatment without an incision, with minimal pain and oftentimes, with no hospitalization.

The Trilogy system is the most powerful and versatile cancer treatment
technology available using image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), stereotactic treatment and conformal radiotherapy (CRT) in one system. The system delivers a wide range of precise treatments making it easier to treat difficult conditions including cancer and certain neurological conditions.

“This technology brings us to a new level, significantly improving on
precision and shortening the duration of these types of treatments,” observed Robert Gilbert, MD, radiation oncologist. “That means more accurate targeting along with greater patient comfort, since patients spend less time on the treatment table.”

Providence Hospital worked closely with Coastal Neurological Institute, PC (CNI) to be among the first in the nation to deploy this new technology along the Gulf Coast.

“As a community hospital, Providence was in the unique position to associate with CNI to provide Trilogy treatment to patients in the region bringing new hope to many. Providence Hospital will continue to team with Ascension Health partner Sacred Heart Health System of Pensacola, Fla. to expand cancer care along the Gulf Coast. Trilogy treatment provides our patients with treatment that has only just now become available. There are only a handful of other cities offering the treatment, and most of those are only available at teaching and research hospitals,” Clark P. Christianson, president and CEO, said.

Neurosurgeons Juan F. Ronderos, MD, and Troy Middleton, MD collaborated with Dr. Gilbert to treat patients using the hospital’s new system for the first time on Feb. 18, 2005.
“The Trilogy system has been optimized for radiosurgery and radiotherapy. The technology represents a significant advancement for neurosurgical and cancer patients in the region,” said Dr. Ronderos. “This technology meets or surpasses all other existing technology, making Providence Hospital a world leader in radiosurgery now and into the foreseeable future.”

At the core of the Trilogy system is a high-powered medical linear accelerator, a machine that rotates around the patient to deliver radiation treatments from nearly any angle. The system focuses on the tumor or lesion so that radiation is delivered directly to the target, while minimizing the exposure of normal, healthy tissues. The system also incorporates a multi-leaf collimator for shaping the radiation beam to match the three-dimensional shape of the tumor, and a built-in X-ray imaging device for fast, accurate, real-time tumor tracking and automated patient positioning.

The Trilogy technology can be used to deliver all forms of external beam radiotherapy, including 3-D conformal (3D-CRT), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), and image-guided radiosurgery (IGRS). Clinicians at Providence Hospital plan to use the Trilogy stereotactic system primarily to treat brain cancer and functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia.

“It will also be used to target tumors that lie extremely close to critical structures or organs like the spinal cord or, in the case of head and neck cancer, the eyes or the salivary glands,” Dr. Gilbert said.

More than 24,000 new cancer cases are expected in the state of Alabama in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society. The American Brain Tumor Association estimates that some 190,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumors or metastases each year in the United States. Patients who seek treatment at Providence in Mobile, Alabama, now have access to the most advanced treatment technologies in the world for these types of conditions.

“Trilogy is a state-of-the-art system designed to enable clinicians to
treat patients with the most advanced radiotherapy techniques, using
clinically efficient processes,” said Richard Levy, chairman and CEO of Varian Medical Systems. “Our goal, with this technology, is to raise the standard of care while lowering the cost of treatment. Trilogy is a cost-effective tool, something both neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists can use to adopt the most appropriate approach for treating their patients, without having to buy two separate, expensive machines. We’re extremely gratified to see this
happening in forward-looking community hospitals like Providence Hospital.”