Open House at Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center Introduces Elekta Synergy® to Community

PANAMA CITY, Fla., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center, the area's only American College of Radiology-accredited radiation oncology center, introduces the Elekta Synergy system.  The new technology will be showcased at the center's Open House on Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center (GCCTC) is located at 2100 State Avenue in Panama City.  Radiation oncologists Dr. D.B. Hurst and Dr. Jefferson Trupp and the center's staff will be available to discuss the latest technological advances in radiation oncology treatments.

Elekta Synergy, manufactured by Elekta, is an advanced digital linear accelerator that integrates a suite of imaging tools to enable high quality 3D imaging while patients are being treated.  "This capability provides us with a solution to two of the most persistent and significant problems in radiation therapy:  internal organ motion and errors in patient set-up," explained Dr. D.B. Hurst, Medical Director of GCCTC.  Dr. Jefferson Trupp added, "Elekta Synergy provides unmatched clinical confidence to treat tumors more aggressively, while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue."

GCCTC is excited to welcome current patients, alumni patients, and the public to attend the Open House.  Area physicians, as well as State Representative Jimmy Patronis, are also expected to attend.  

"I'm looking forward to seeing the new cancer-fighting technology that Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center is bringing to our community," said Rep. Patronis.  

Elekta Synergy:  A New Approach to Radiation Therapy

Elekta Synergy helps determine the precise location of tumors and normal surrounding tissues.  Traditional radiotherapy calls for imaging studies to be done several days before treatment.  During the time between imaging and treatment, the tumor may change size or shift position.  Elekta Synergy enables Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center's radiation oncologists to obtain images just before treatment with the patient in the exact position in which he or she will be treated.  This technology reduces the risk of errors in tumor targeting and patient positioning, while also allowing an increase in radiation dose to the tumor by virtue of more certainty in the tumor's location.  The goal is to improve the patient's quality of life and the chances for long-term survival.  Elekta® Synergy is a registered trademark owned by the Elekta Group.

Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center

Gulf Coast Cancer Treatment Center is owned and operated by ROSA of Georgia, LLC, a joint venture between Atlanta Oncology Associates and Radiation Oncology Services of America, Inc.   Since its establishment in 1991, GCCTC's radiation oncologists have provided quality radiation therapy while achieving high standards of patient satisfaction with on-site, state-of-the-art radiation oncology services.  ROSA of Georgia owns and operates eight radiation therapy centers in Georgia and Florida.

SOURCE Ambulatory Services of America, Inc.