Cancer Centers of North Carolina Acquires Wake Radiology Oncology Services of Cary, N.C.

CARY, N.C. and THE WOODLANDS, Texas, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cancer Centers of North Carolina (CCNC), an affiliate of the United Network of US Oncology and the first practice to offer community-based outpatient cancer care in the Triangle with locations in Raleigh, North Raleigh, Cary, Dunn and Clayton, has purchased Wake Radiology Oncology Services (WROS) from Wake Radiology, the oldest and largest multi-site radiology group in central North Carolina.

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WROS is the Triangle's first free-standing, full-service, outpatient radiation therapy center. The facility is equipped with a Siemens PRIMUS linear accelerator, the only linear accelerator in Cary, N.C. and the second radiation therapy machine operated by the CCNC practice. The linear accelerator is computer-controlled and connected to a computer network that monitors and verifies every aspect of each patient's treatment to ensure maximum accuracy. Most patients are treated with daily doses over a long period; this computer technology ensures that each daily treatment is precisely reproduced.

Linear accelerators produce x-rays and electrons with a wide range of energies that are optimal for many cancer treatments including tumors on the surface (such as skin cancers) and deep-seated tumors (such as cancers of the prostate and lung). Adding WROS's services to Cancer Centers of North Carolina expands CCNC's radiation oncology services to two sites, Cary and Raleigh, so that patients have greater access to integrated cancer care close to home and close to their support systems of family and friends. Integrated cancer care brings medical oncologists and radiation oncologists together for better, more collaborative patient care and an improved patient experience.

WROS radiation oncologists, Andrew Kennedy, M.D. and Scott Sailer, M.D., will continue to provide care in their current location at WROS as part of the medical staff of CCNC and will join radiation oncologists John Reilly, M.D. and Kolby Sidhu, M.D., and the fourteen other oncologists from CCNC. Wake Radiology Oncology Services has been in operation for more than a decade. Patient care will not be interrupted and patients will have the opportunity to continue care as before.

Patients in the Cary, N.C. area will benefit from this merger through the increased resources and integrated care available through their physicians. Dr. Alan Kritz, CCNC Practice President said, "The addition of this state-of-the-art radiation oncology practice with its two excellent physicians continues to demonstrate Cancer Centers of North Carolina's leadership and commitment to community oncology in Wake County and beyond."

In joining Cancer Centers of North Carolina, Drs. Kennedy and Sailer will have access the vast resources of the United Network of US Oncology, one of the nation's largest networks of community-based oncologists dedicated to providing patients with access to cancer research and high-quality, evidence-based cancer care in local communities throughout the U.S. Through the United Network of US Oncology, oncologists have access to physician-to-physician collaboration via The Oncology Portal and face-to-face networking opportunities, nationwide leadership roles, evidence-based medicine pathways, cancer research including Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) clinical trials, and healthcare information technology such as the oncology-specific electronic health record system iKnowMed™ and Lynx® Mobile technology. US Oncology is a division of McKesson Corporation, a leader in healthcare solutions.

Drs. Kennedy and Sailer are experts in cancers of the head, neck and liver, in particular, and Dr. Kennedy is a leading expert in the infusion of microspheres, a highly specialized radiation treatment for liver cancer patients who have few options. This revolutionary treatment involves delivery of miniscule-size beads of glass, called microspheres that have been coated with the radiation source Yttrium-90. The beads are so small it would take three side-by-side to equal the width of a human hair. These microspheres are infused directly into the cancerous areas of the liver.

The radioactive microspheres are delivered by a catheter through the hepatic artery (the main supplier of blood to the liver) to the arterial section of the liver. The microspheres become permanently implanted in the cancerous tumor where they slowly release radiation over a period of approximately 14 days. The radiation in each bead is quite powerful, but does not have a wide range of exposure. This helps the microspheres to attack only the deadly tumor, and not the healthy organ. Dr. Kennedy has played a lead role in developing the procedure worldwide.

About Cancer Centers of North Carolina

Established in 1979, CCNC is the first practice to offer community-based outpatient cancer care in the Triangle with locations in Raleigh, North Raleigh, Cary, Dunn and Clayton. The 16 board certified cancer physicians are experienced professionals offering state of the art compassionate cancer care, meeting the needs of cancer patients and their families throughout the spectrum of illness, recovery and survivorship. CCNC offers the latest chemotherapy and radiation treatments, as well as surgical services in gynecologic and head and neck oncology.  Cancer Centers of North Carolina has access to new biologic and targeted cancer treatments, 3-dimensional and highly conformal radiation techniques, and access to the newest cancer protocols through participation in national clinical cancer trials.

CCNC is united in healing with US Oncology, a division of McKesson Corporation and a leading integrated oncology company uniting one of the nation's largest community-based cancer treatment and research networks. As an affiliate of the United Network of US Oncology, CCNC is united with more than 1,100 physicians and 10,000 cancer professionals nationwide. Through the US Oncology Research Network, CCNC participates in clinical trials and has played a role in the development of 43 FDA-approved cancer therapies. For more information, visit www.cancercentersofnc.com or www.usoncology.com.

About Wake Radiology Oncology Services

Offering the Triangle's first freestanding, full-service outpatient radiation therapy center, Wake Radiology Oncology Services (WROS) in Cary combines the newest technology and three-dimensional radiation therapy with the expertise of specialty trained staff. A PRIMUS linear accelerator produces x-rays and electrons, offering optimal treatments for surface tumors and deep-seated tumors, such as lung or prostate cancers. The computer-controlled linear accelerator is connected to a network of monitors that verifies every aspect of each patient's treatment. Co-directors Andrew Kennedy, M.D. and Scott Sailer, M.D. are highly skilled radiation oncologists with more than 35 years of combined experience from major academic medical centers in the country. They offer a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and care for patients with a full range of therapeutic services. Other professional staff includes radiation therapists, oncology nurses, a dosimetrist and physicist who specialize in the planning and design of how radiation is administered, and diagnostic radiologists. For more information, visit www.wakeoncology.com.

SOURCE US Oncology