New cancer technologies offer hope

Thoughts of a gigantic blender may pop into your mind should you see or need medical treatment on the new linear accelerator at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. The linear accelerator by Varian Medical Systems costs just under $3 million. It’s ensconced in a vault of the newly expanded $9.5 million cancer center.

While the notion of a gigantic blender didn’t quite do justice to the high-end technology, Dr. Rena Zimmerman came forward with her own thoughts.

“This is my Star Trek, this is my Enterprise, this is my photon torpedo machine,” she said.

Dr. Zimmerman is medical director of radiation oncology at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital. She recently led the media on tour of the new waiting area, the consult area, and the new radiation treatment vault. A self-described “old Navy girl,” Zimmerman took the media on a path that led directly to an encounter with the now and future of cancer treatment. She may have believed her job was to replace any stubborn notions of the past where some people may still believe radiation treatment is equated to glowing in the dark or becoming radioactive.

“There’s no difference in receiving treatment at the linear accelerator or getting an x-ray of your chest,” Zimmerman emphatically said.

Before the tour group of media representatives and medical staff stepped through the 2,500 pound vault door, Zimmerman explained the significance in what the linear accelerator provides for the 15 patients a day receiving radiation treatment since October 1. She said the precision of the technology allows for treatment right where the cancer is found and this dramatically decreases the time a patient needs to lie in a fixed position on the couch.

In the 30 years since Zimmerman worked with “cobalt machines” and patients’ side effects and long-term consequences, she was very open about her excitement over having such a state of the art machine today. Zimmerman gave an example with the linear accelerator for treating patients with prostate cancer.

“We can now avoid giving radiation or greatly reduce the dose to non-cancerous tissues, while increasing the dose to the area of the cancer…leading to a better outcome,” she said.

Carley Paul, lead radiation therapist at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital, walked through the door of the vault and showed the media how a lot of thought has greatly reduced what could have easily been a scary moment in a patient’s life. Paul noted how special consideration of the surroundings in the vault has made the linear accelerator a lot less intimidating and more relaxing. Such touches as an outdoor scene on the ceiling and the huge size of the vault making the machine look smaller go a long way in patients’ come first theory.

At the Sage Cancer Center, it’s quite clear the TrueBeam Radiotherapy system brand linear accelerator is the star of the show but supporting pieces are just as significant in cancer treatment at Northwestern Medicine. John Hylton, director of operations, Oncology, Sage Cancer Center McHenry Hospital, points out the role of an almost closed circuit TV system setup. Hylton said that Northwestern Medicine doctors can communicate with each other over a patient’s case. These “tumor boards” as they are called will work as a multi-disciplinary unit on the treatment plan.

“We can go back and forth and ask questions. It’s not just a presentation on tape anymore, its communication back and forth,” he said.

Oncologists in McHenry can quickly have access to surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, and radiation oncologists, all working together for a positive outcome. Zimmerman explained her own involvement of what the Sage Cancer Center can now do with the 10,000 square-foot addition and the fact Northwestern Medicine is a big medical system of integrated care.

“If I want some input from someone who is renowned in a certain area, all I have to do is call and say, can you please look at this patient’s images. If you’ve had neck cancer, let’s say, your case will be presented at the tumor board downtown.” This two-way communication includes a bevy of specialists at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the flagship campus for Northwestern Medicine, a nationally ranked academic medical center. “You will not have to travel downtown…we’ll carry out the plan locally,” Zimmerman said.

The tour of the multi-million dollar facility was drawing to a close and Dr. Zimmerman put herself in the mindset of the many patients she’s consulted over the years, knowing that radiation is a scary word.

“All we think about is Hiroshima (dropping of the Atomic Bomb during WWII) and hair falling out and so we spend more time teaching and preparing people for this process than in any practice I’ve ever been in,” she said.

Relentlessly pursuing better health care (the Northwestern Medicine mission) has its challenges but Zimmerman knows that’s what patients deserve.

“I can hug you, but if I don’t provide the very best health care, I am not putting you first. Putting your first is critical to our success,” she said.

The media thanked Zimmerman for the tour. She turned and gave them one last thought, ironic as it was.

“I hope you never have me as a doctor and I hope you are never on my table, but if you are,” she said. “I promise to take good care of you.”

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