Let’s hope we never need radiation treatment for cancer, but if we do, we can take some comfort in knowing that a local hospital has the latest in radiation technology.Dr. Edward Kiggundu says he and his team are very excited about having a new form of treatment available for patients. “Martinsburg isn’t coming up in the world of technology. It’s already there.”
Kiggundu, one of West Virginia’s only board certified radiation oncologist touts the fact that WVUH-East Cancer Program at City Hospital has the latest equipment for image guided radiation treatment.One of the most impressive features of IGRT is that it allows the oncology team to deliver the dose of radiation in a more precise manner which allows healthy tissue to not be affected by the treatment. This also aids the oncology team in quality assurance and allows them to better serve their patient.
Dr. Kiggundu says the Eastern Panhandle now has more options than ever before and this type of radiation treatment is the newest in the state.
Kiggundu, also says the old way of determining the administration site for radiation was to use tattoos which marked the area. The oncology team would use CT, MRI or PET scans to view where the tumor was internally, then mark the outside of the skin. This was not the most accurate method of administering radiation; but it was all that was available. Thanks to advanced technology, Kiggundu says the days of visually marking the skin are gone. Now it can be done with the aid of image guided treatment.
The overall concept of IGRT is fairly simple. The IGRT is a machine similar to a CT, MRI or PET scan machine. Just like with the other imaging machines, the oncology team views all images projected from the IGRT machine in a different room via computer screens. As the patient lies in the IGRT, the machine rotates around the patient while simultaneously transmitting images back to the oncology team. Because the machine rotates around the patient, it can adjust where the radiation is administered in case the patient accidentally moves, or the area in which treatment is being administered moves.
Dr. Kiggundu says that not all parts of our bodies stay in the same place all the time. For example, if treatment needs to be administered to the intestinal area, the intestines are constantly moving depending on whether there is stool present or not. The IGRT can detect any movement and keep the radiation focused on the treatment area, again assuring proper dosage will be administered to only the area in which it is intended. Also, because of increased accuracy with the IGRT, they have the ability to re-treat the area more than with other machines and this form of treatment can reach deeper area.
“Not every machine can re-treat because they don’t have the precision ability,” says KiggunduNot only is this new method of administering radiation more accurate, but Kiggundu says that because of its increased accuracy they can now administer a greater amount of radiation to the tumor which will increase their odds of success.
According to Kiggundu, this new method of treatment is done outpatient and can allow patients to have treatment every day which usually lasts no longer than 20 minutes.“After treatment, many patients return to work or go on about their day,” he says.Dr. Kiggundu says this type of treatment can be used on any type of cancer that responds to radiation such as breast, prostate, lung, rectal and many others.
“We are the first in the state to have this model.” Kiggundu says, “This treatment is not experimental. It’s the same treatment you would get at John’s Hopkins or Harvard. The only difference it that we have it here, right here in Martinsburg.”
Kiggundu says that oncology and the treatment of cancer uses a very multidiscipline team. Not only is the oncology team directly involved, but so are social workers and other medical staff. Kiggundu’s team works with patients in conjunction with other hospitals — such as John’s Hopkins Hospital and Georgetown University Hospital, who are referred to WVU-East City Hospital because their physicians want the best possible treatment for their patients.
While there are a few side effects to radiation treatment, such as skin redness and fatigue, Kiggundu says there are several misconceptions many patients facing treatment have.
“Like many think their skin is going to get burned. That’s not true,” he says. Kiggundu says the administration site may be a little red, it’s certainly not a like a sunburn and in many cases, area of administration isn’t even detectable.