BRG celebrates new life-saving cancer technology
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Baton Rouge General’s Pennington Cancer Center recently installed the VitalBeam®, by Varian Medical systems after a year-long upgrade project, officials say.
The new technology reportedly treats a wide range of cancers and represents the best technology available to patients in the Baton Rouge area.
According to officials, previous technology would take about 30-45 minutes to treat each lesion and only one lesion could be treated at a time. Patients had to make multiple visits and endure hours of treatment.
“More than 4,000 patients are diagnosed with cancer in the Baton Rouge area every year, with nearly 40% of residents expected to develop cancer in their lifetime,” said Erik Showalter, president of the BRG Foundation.
Now, with the new addition the team can treat multiple lesions at the same time in as little as 7 minutes. It also spares the maximum amount of normal tissue and has less treatment side effects, reportedly.
To celebrate the arrival of the new treatment technology, there will be a ribbon cutting and open house on Tuesday, September 13 from 5-7 p.m., officials say.
“This life-saving technology at Pennington Cancer Center is something that not many hospitals in the country are using, and we are honored that our community continues to support us in the belief that people shouldn’t have to leave home to get the very best care,” Showalter added.
The upgrade project was reportedly made possible in part through the BRG Foundation’s RISE campaign, that raised $10 million for the hospital and its patients.
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