More technological advancements are being made at The Mississippi Cancer Institute (MCI) in McComb providing another reason why patients don’t have to drive long distances for daily radiation treatment. The latest in advanced technology is found right here at home. MCI is dedicated to continually advancing the technology available on the same level found in larger cities.

MCI began in January 2011 adding a second vault to house a brand new Varian Cliniac iX linear accelerator, which is the machinery that delivers the daily radiation treatments to cancer patients. The new Varian machine will replace the existing linear accelerator that’s been in use since the cancer center opened in 1998. A linear accelerator delivers precise doses of radiation to cancerous areas while sparing healthy tissue. This new linear accelerator will start being used fall of 2011.

The new Varian has added features, such as a 120-multileaf collimator that will better define the focus of treatment with pinpoint accuracy. While the dose rate is the same, treatment time is cut in half for some patients and a third of the time for most. The new accelerator also has an on-board imaging system (OBI), that has CT and kV imaging technology, which can verify a patient’s position and automatically adjust itself if a patient moves. It’s equipped with a new recording and verification system to ensure accurate treatment set up parameters before the treatment is initiated.

The ongoing work is another step in continued medical progress for Southwest Health System. “Going Further So You Don’t Have To”.