Cancer Center Plans Expansion
Clinical Cancer Center Articles
Clinical Cancer Center Will Expand Radiation OncologyThe new Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center will double the size of key radiation oncology facilities. John Koenig, director of the Radiation Oncology department and the Breast Care Center, said this expansion will accommodate growing demand for cancer services. It will also help Froedtert & the Medical College keep up with new radiation therapy technology.
Currently, radiation oncology facilities at Froedtert & the Medical College include three radiation vaults on the third floor of the East Clinics building. Each vault houses a linear accelerator used to produce radiation for cancer treatment. The new Clinical Cancer Center attached to the East Clinics building features three new radiation therapy vaults that are adjacent to the three existing vaults.
One of the recently constructed vaults will house a new linear accelerator scheduled to arrive in June. The TomoTherapy treatment unit, currently housed in Day Surgery, will be relocated to the second new vault. According to Koenig, the third vault will be reserved for future needs, possibly housing a new radiation system in 2011 or 2012.
Koenig said the three new vaults are larger than the original three. This will give the Clinical Cancer Center flexibility when adding new treatment units or upgrading our current systems. “Some hospitals have found that their older radiation vaults are not big enough for new units,” he said. “Building a bit bigger allows us to accommodate future developments in technology.”
The area outside the three existing vaults has been refurbished to achieve a “seamless” transition between the old space and the new. Patients and visitors will not discern that the radiation oncology area straddles two different buildings.
The radiation oncology expansion will help Froedtert & the Medical College keep up with growing demand for cancer care in the region. Koenig said patient volumes in radiation oncology have increased more than 42 percent over the past five years.
Date: April 4, 2008 Online Editor(s): Rich Petre |