Referring Physicians

Compass Cancer Center’s state-of-the-art Elekta Infinity™ is a highly-sophisticated linear accelerator. Clinicians can deliver treatments with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), SBRT, IGRT, and IMRT– significant improvements over conventional radiation therapy techniques and a faster alternative to helical tomotherapy.

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Why Compass?

Compass Cancer Center’s state-of-the-art Elekta Infinity™ is a highly-sophisticated linear accelerator. Clinicians can deliver treatments with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) – a significant improvement over conventional radiation therapy techniques and a faster alternative to helical tomotherapy.

With Elekta’s VMAT technology, the target is continuously irradiated while the source of the beam is rotated around the patient in single or multiple arcs. Elekta’s VMAT technology allows the clinicians to choose single or multiple arcs allowing more control over the dose distribution to normal tissues thus improving patient side effects.

Elekta Infinity offers clinicians the ability to dynamically control multiple treatment parameters while the beam is on and rotating. The system achieves helical-like target coverage that enables better sparing of surrounding healthy tissue.

Faster treatments

By simultaneously controlling gantry position, gantry speed, leaves of the multi-leaf collimator (MLC), collimator angle and dose rate, a highly conformal dose distribution is created in significantly less time than with traditional techniques. With Elekta Infinity’s™ VMAT technology, a treatment session can typically be conducted in fifteen minutes or less, including true 3D imaging at the time and place of treatment.

3D imaging

The integrated 3D visualization capabilities of Elekta Infinity result in unmatched clinical confidence, enabling more aggressive treatment of tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. With Elekta 3D VolumeView™ imaging, clinicians can routinely confirm target and organ-at-risk positions immediately before treatment. This allows confirmation of size, shape and position of the target volume compared to plan, as well as the position of critical adjacent structures.

As a result, Elekta Infinity delivers more radiation to the target while sparing healthy tissue, in significantly less time. Faster treatment times support improved patient comfort, which makes it easier for the patient to remain still during treatment and increases the likelihood of delivering radiation more accurately and safely.

What Is Electronic Brachytherapy Treatment (eBx)?

Compass Health’s electronic brachytherapy (eBx) treatment is the only treatment of its kind in mid- Michigan. The system brings a small X-ray source very close to the cancer lesion. Rather than surgically cutting the tissue away, high dose rate (HDR) radiation is precisely focused at cancerous tissue to destroy it. Treatments require just a few brief visits to the Compass Cancer Center.

Skin cancer treatment requires an individualized approach. Your Compass Health radiation oncologist will recommend a course of treatment and therapeutic modality based on your general health, age, medical history and the type, size and location of your cancer. Even in patients whose NMSC occurs in highly visible areas, Compass Health offers a new option with excellent cosmetic and clinical results. Esteya may also be the preferred option for patients for whom surgery presents a high intra-operative or post-operative risk of complications.

Is It Safe?

At Compass Health, your treatment is performed under the direction of a Board –Certified Radiation Oncologist – a physician who is specially trained and experienced in cancer and radiation treatments. Designed by a global leader in brachytherapy, this treatment allows the therapy to be focused directly at the cancerous lesion without damaging surrounding tissue. The applicators are uniquely designed to protect the healthy surrounding skin without additional shielding meaning your treatment is provided in a comfortable office room setting. The applicators come in a variety of sizes to enable safe and effective treatment of the challenging areas – such as around the eyes, on the nose, or on the shin. And, built-in features support your safety while optimizing treatment benefits.

Common side effects may include temporary redness, dryness, itching or soreness in the treated area. Be sure to discuss all the possible side effects with your Compass Health physician in order to make an informed decision in your own best interest.

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What Is Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)?

Image Guided Radiation Therapy is a technique whereby consistent imaging is used to enhance accuracy throughout the course of your radiation therapy. The imaging equipment can be built into the linear accelerator or mounted in the treatment room. Your Compass Cancer Center radiation oncologist is able to adjust your treatment plan to optimize your radiation therapy after reviewing and comparing your full set of images.

Benefits of IGRT include:

Therefore, IGRT may be recommended for treating tumors that are located close to vital and sensitive organs. Also, image guided radiation therapy can be useful for addressing tumors in parts of the body that are prone to movement, including the lungs, prostate and liver.

What Is Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)?

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy, is a type of treatment in which precisely shaped beams of radiation are directed at a solid tumor. The therapy begins with three dimensional images of a tumor. These images are evaluated and exact coordinates are entered and programmed into the linear accelerator. This allows our radiation therapist to deliver precise doses of radiation accounting for the tumors unique size and shape.

IMRT is especially useful in the treatment of unusually shaped tumors, as well as those that are situated extremely close to vital organs (and therefore have an increased likelihood of producing side effects if the nearby healthy tissues sustain damage during treatment). By using IMRT, oncologists are able to:

What Is Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)?

Benefits of IGRT include:

Real-time visualization

Elekta’s suite of imaging tools was developed to address the need to visualize internal structures at the time of the treatment in order to reduce geometric uncertainties. The ability to image at the point of treatment and in the treatment position reduces issues relating to organ movement and inspires the clinical confidence to pursue highly precise delivery.

Using Elekta Infinity, clinicians can visualize soft tissue detail in any area of the body. This unique functionality offers two potential benefits:

The ability to minimize side effects of radiation therapy by reducing the margins previously set to account for uncertainties of target dimensions, location and movement.
The potential to adopt dose escalation and hypofractionation regimes with the confidence that a 3D plan will be delivered as an accurately targeted 3D treatment.

Improving patient safety

Elekta Infinity incorporates a third-generation, fully digital control system that offers proven performance and safety. The system’s ultra-low dose capabilities through active leakage reduction enable minimal dose to critical structures, and Elekta Infinity incorporates real-time assurance that the intended dose is delivered as precisely as it was planned.

Elekta Infinity combines true three-dimensional (3D) image guidance at the time of treatment with highly conformal beam shaping and robotic 6D sub-millimeter patient positioning to deliver fast, efficient and accurate treatment. All treatment processes from planning to delivery are controlled from a single workstation supported by an electronic medical record (EMR) centered workflow.