It’s called the Halcyon. Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital in Jackson are the first in Michigan, and one of the first in the country to have one of the systems.
“I think we will be even more successful extinguishing cancers, and we will also be able to minimize side effects from radiation more and more,” said Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Henry Ford Allegiance Health, Dr. Annette Kretzler, MD.
Doctor Kretzler has made treating cancer her life’s work. She says the new success comes from sophisticated technology with CT image guided radiation therapy. The benefits include a dramatic reduction in time spent in treatment with a total time of only ten minutes. This is all possible because the system allows for targeting the exact size, and shape of the tumor for ultimate precision and safety.
“The images that we are able to get they are so pristine. They are really crystal clear, and you know the more we can see the more detail we can see the more precise our radiation is,” said Dr. Kretzler.
The speed and simplicity make it well-suited to handle a majority of cancer cases including prostate, lung, breast, head, and neck. For doctor Kretzler, she hopes the less time spent in treatment helps make the process of treatment much less intimidating.
“I think it especially helps with emotion so the shorter time they are on the treatment table the less time there is for emotions,” said Dr. Kretzler.
