The public will get an opportunity Friday to view UH Geauga Medical Center’s new $5.5 million Seidman Cancer Center and its high-tech cancer treatment facilities, which were unveiled Monday by University Hospital officials and doctors.
The public will get an opportunity Friday to view UH Geauga Medical Center’s new $5.5 million Seidman Cancer Center and its high-tech cancer treatment facilities, which were unveiled Monday by University Hospital officials and doctors.
The 4,600 square-foot cancer treatment center will be open for tours from 4-6:30 p.m. and begin providing expanded cancer treatment Nov. 14, using radiation therapy provided by a linear accelerator.
Dr. Tithi Biswas, a Seidman Cancer Center radiation oncologist, said the high-tech device uses image-guided technology to accurately deliver radiation to the tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
The linear accelerator will be used in conjunction with expanded infusion therapy services that previously existed at UH Geauga Medical Center, hospital President M. Steven Jones said.
This will enable the cancer treatment center to blend the latest technology with comfortable surroundings “to provide an optimal healing environment for patients and their families” in and around Geauga County, Jones added.
Using the linear accelerator, the cancer center will be able to offer 3-D conformal, intensity-modulated radiotherapy and image-guidance radiotherapy, which are the most advanced technologies in radiation oncology, Biswas said.
“Our new technology will enable physicians to obtain precise patient images immediately before treatment,” she said. “This means there will be better tumor targeting and patient positioning, plus the ability to increase dosage to the tumor if it is indicated because of our certainty regarding its location.”
Gary Shields, a medical physicist with the cancer center, demonstrated how the device operates and can rotate to pinpoint radiation therapy on specific areas of the body.
He said he will work in a protective control room with nurses or an oncologist to make sure a patient receives the proper dose of radiation.
Along with infusion therapy and the linear accelerator, Dr. Judah Friedman, another medical oncologist, said intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, red/white blood cell growth factor injections, blood transfusions, IV antibiotics and surgery will continue to be used in cancer treatment.
Other cancer services include specialized diagnostic imaging, nutritional support, preventive screenings, rehabilitation and education, Friedman added.
Patients will be able to undergo treatment at the cancer center while at the hospital or as an outpatient.
In either case, the goal will be to make treatment as comfortable and painless as possible, Friedman said.
The facility was added to the eastside of the hospital adjacent to the surgical services area.
“Our cancer program continues to grow and we have expanded three times since 2008 to meet the increased need for cancer care services,” Friedman said. “The new radiation oncology facility will improve access to comprehensive treatment for Geauga-area residents.”
In addition, local patients at the Seidman Cancer Center can participate in clinical trial research using newly developed cancer-fighting therapies that have not yet become available elsewhere, Friedman said.
Jones said doctors and other clinical staff at UH Geauga Medical Center will work “as a team” with colleagues at the UH Seidman Cancer Center located at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland to treat a patient’s cancer.
“Offering a wide range of cancer care services is a priority at UH Geauga Medical Center,” said Jones. “Our goal is to provide these services within the community where patients live, minimizing the need for them to travel long distances for their care.”
This makes the UH Seidman Cancer Center at UH Geauga Medical Center a regional cancer treatment center, serving Ashtabula, Trumbull counties, and parts of Lake County as well as Geauga County, he added.
The cancer center is the newest addition to UH Geauga Medical Center, which has invested in upgrades of its services based on growing community needs, Jones said.
Over the last seven years, the hospital has completed major emergency center and surgery center expansions, opened an orthopaedic and spine center, and has brought heart, cardiovascular and neurological medical services to Geauga County, Jones said.
