Cancer center offers more treatment options

The Idaho Falls Teton Cancer Center is offering its patients more treatment options.

Last Tuesday, the cancer center performed its first Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy. Doctors said they used to refer patients to Boise or Salt Lake City for a similar treatment and often relied on effective, but limited, forms of radiation treatment.

“We know that we can give little bits (of radiation) a day safely and provide tumor control. But giving little bits a day requires many days,” said radiation oncologist; Dr. Steve Todd. “(With the new treatment) in most cases the recovery time is quicker, but there are some folks who have radiotherapy who have very little side effects to recovery from in the first place.”

Todd said SBRT is the latest in radiation treatment and allows specialists to detect tumors outside the central nervous system affecting and/or near organs. He said patients usually undergo several treatments rather than 15 or more. Todd said the treatment option will not only add to the center’s overall quality of care, but the patient’s ability to recover from treatment in a matter of days.

“The more things that we’re able to perform locally, the less our patients would need to travel long distances to obtain those types of treatments,” said Todd. “The expertise and skills are available, and now the equipment is as well.”

Doctors said SBRT is not a suitable treatment option for all cancers and patients should talk with their physician about their treatment plan. To find out more information about SBRT and its effectiveness, go to http://radonc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=416.