Northern Kentucky¯ The St. Luke Hospitals Northern Kentucky Cancer Treatment Center completed a $3 million expansion project to increase access to cancer services for patients in Northern Kentucky. The expansion at St. Luke Hospital East includes the new Varian Clinac  21EX linear accelerator with multi-leaf collimation and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) capabilities. It also features the photographic artwork of Richard Levy, M.D., Oncology Hematology Care, Inc. (OHC).

"At The St. Luke Hospitals, we strive to deliver the highest level of patient care," says Sue Cole, clinical manager of the St. Luke Northern Kentucky Cancer Treatment Center. "The Clinac® EX allows us to more precisely treat our patients, thereby improving outcomes."

The Clinac® EX offers an array of energy options allowing physicians to treat patients with just the right amount of radiation for their particular needs, and a precise focal spot size to administer the radiation to a more specific area. The computerized multi-leaf collimator has 120 "leaves," or thin sheets of metal, that are used to block radiation beams, thereby protecting the healthy tissue that shouldn't be exposed to radiation. This replaces the need for cerrobend blocks, which were previously molded and used to block the radiation. With the cerrobend blocks, physicians were limited to treating tumors from only four to eight angles. With the multi-leaf collimator, physicians can input the dimensions of the tumor, and treat it from 100 or more angles, thereby treating it more effectively.

IMRT, or Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, is a revolutionary new type of radiation therapy that enables radiation oncologists to more effectively regulate the dosage of radiation in different parts of a tumor. Physicians can target the most aggressive regions of a tumor with a higher intensity of radiation and deliver less powerful doses to areas near the surrounding healthy tissue.

The radiation oncologist uses "inverse treatment planning" for IMRT by entering the ideal radiation dose prescription for a specific tumor into the computer, as well as the maximum dose limits for the surrounding healthy tissue. The IMRT treatment planning software then calculates the best delivery approach for that particular tumor, which is then reviewed and approved by a physician.

The St. Luke Hospitals Northern Kentucky Cancer Treatment Center was the first regional cancer facility in Northern Kentucky. St. Luke also created the first dedicated Center for Breast Health, offering Northern Kentucky's only on-site, experienced team of women breast surgeons. Partnering with Cancer Family Care, The St. Luke Hospitals provide onsite comprehensive psychosocial counseling for our patients with breast cancer. St. Luke has also entered into a relationship with Oncology-Hematology Care, Inc., the largest physician group in Northern Kentucky, to provide patients with greater access to more cancer services.

The St. Luke Hospitals are part of the Health Alliance, an integrated health care delivery system that also includes The Christ Hospital, The University Hospital, The Jewish Hospital, The Fort Hamilton Hospital and the physicians of Alliance Primary Care. To view other Health Alliance news releases, please visit .