Chesapeake Regional, Riverside & University OF Virginia Radiosurgery Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
For more than a century, Riverside Health System has provided medical care to the people of the Virginia peninsula. From humble beginnings as a 50-bed regional hospital, Riverside has grown into a modern medical center with national and international expertise. A case in point is Chesapeake Regional, Riverside & University of Virginia Radiosurgery Center, which recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary.
As of June 2016, the Radiosurgery Center had provided 1,294 Gamma Knife® treatments and 6,500 Synergy S® treatments, with outstanding results.
In 2003, Riverside radiation oncologist Dr. C. Ronald Kersh was sending as many as 30 patients to the University of Virginia for radiosurgical intervention each year, with that number growing annually. Dr. Kersh had studied at the University of Virginia under Dr. Ladislau Steiner, a colleague of Dr. Lars Leksell, the Swedish physician who introduced the concept of stereotactic radiosurgery in 1951. From his work with Dr. Steiner, Dr. Kersh knew that Gamma Knife radiosurgery was then the gold standard treatment for brain tumors, both benign and malignant, vascular abnormalities and other functional disorders of the brain.
Dr. Kersh introduced the idea of partnering with the University of Virginia – a partnership that would grant Riverside greater access to the University’s radiosurgery capabilities, as well as establishing a solid connection to a major academic center. The University had begun doing radiosurgical procedures in 1989, and had seen the platform transform the care available to neurological and oncology patients.
In February of 2004, Riverside representatives met with the neurosurgery team at UVA to discuss partnership opportunities that would help them better serve the Riverside community, not just in neuro-oncology but in other neurosciences as well. A partnership was formed and Dr. Jason Sheehan, neurosurgeon from the University of Virginia and Riverside Medical Group neurosurgeon Dr. James Lesnick were named as Medical Directors of the Radiosurgery Center.
On June 5, 2006, the first Gamma Knife procedure was performed at the Chesapeake Regional, Riverside & University of Virginia Radiosurgery Center, located on the campus of Riverside Regional Medical Center, observed by partners from the University of Virginia, a neurosurgeon from the Czech Republic, and a physicist from London.
The Gamma Knife.
The first Gamma Knife purchased for the Radiosurgery Center was the Leksell 4C, then the state-of-the-art option. It was used for patients with brain tumors and other conditions, such as arteriovenous malformations, trigeminal neuralgias or vestibular schwannomas. Its high-intensity cobalt radiation therapy concentrated the radiation over a small volume. The risks associated with open surgery were eliminated, including the risk of general anesthesia. Treatment could be planned and programmed within a matter of an hour or two. Treatment time was significantly less than conventional radiation and other delivery systems and because it’s more often done on an out-patient basis, most patients could return to normal activity within 24 hours.
Synergy S.
For cancers of the spine, neck, chest, lung, prostate, pancreas and liver – and for tumors in areas of the brain too large for the Gamma Knife – the Synergy S was chosen. A highly accurate non-invasive delivery system for stereotactic radiation, the Synergy S combined a linear accelerator with the ability to visualize internal structure, including soft tissues, in three dimensions at the time of treatment. The radiation dose was precisely targeted at the tumor or lesion, resulting in less damage to surrounding healthy tissue. As with the Gamma Knife, the benefits of the Synergy S included no risk of blood loss, fewer complications, faster recovery and the ability to effectively treat patients who could no longer be treated by other methods of care.
By March of 2012, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center affiliated with the partnership expanding the reach of the Radiosurgery Center to Virginia’s Southside region.
Innovation begat innovation.
For nearly a decade, the two original modalities served the patients of the Radiosurgery Center well. But as the team’s experience with the Gamma Knife grew, it began to reveal some of 4C’s limitations, specifically a design element that didn’t anticipate treating multiple areas of the head at one time, or metastatic tumors on opposite sides of the brain.
The makers of the Gamma Knife recognized that need, and refined the technology. In July of 2015, with nearly a thousand Gamma Knife 4C treatments to its credit, the Radiosurgery Center at Riverside installed the next iteration of the technology: the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™. The Perfexion has enabled neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists to treat multiple metastatic lesions at a time, no matter where they are located.
As of June 2016, the Radiosurgery Center had provided 1,294 Gamma Knife treatments and 6,500 Synergy S treatments, with outstanding results.
One of the Synergy S’s assets is the greater protection it provides for the spinal cord. For years, it had been accepted that once an area of the body had been treated with standard external radiation, it could no longer receive radiation treatment. Convinced that the protection the Synergy S provided to the spinal cord negated that protocol, the Center began re-treating a series of carefully selected patients, many of whom were Stage IV. At a recent meeting of the Radiosurgery Society, it was reported that these patients were experiencing an 87 percent response rate with minimal side effects – and patients with third line chemotherapy with a 10 percent response rate were realizing 70 and 80 percent with the Synergy S.
And yet, there is newer, more efficient extracranial radiosurgery equipment available, and the Radiosurgery Center is once again determined to acquire the most effective treatment for its patients. A team was designated to evaluate the new equipment, with installation to be completed in 2017.
The vitality of research.
One of the hallmarks of the Radiosurgery Center has been its commitment to research, analysis, and most importantly, to sharing its findings with the national and international medical communities. The Radiosurgery Center has contributed significantly to the literature, presenting papers to The American Society of Radiation Oncology, The Radiosurgery Society, The American Radium Society, and to the international multicenter database for radiation oncology, and in publications like the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, the Radiation Oncology Journal, Oncology and others.
A change in paradigm.
As with all medical advances, the more hands-on experience visionary experts attain, the more potential applications for existing technology become apparent. Such was the case with the Radiosurgery Center and the Synergy S. Riverside neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists discovered that in many instances, they were able to control these patients’ tumors without having to do an open procedure – thereby relieving pain, arresting the growth of the tumor and causing it to regress. The Radiosurgery Center at Riverside has as much or more experience in treating spinal metastases than anyone in the world. The outcomes and clinical data the Center has shared have led to multicenter clinical trials, publications and presentations across the globe. The team has literally and dramatically revolutionized the way spinal metastasis is treated.
A true cause for celebration.
When that first patient was treated in 2006, no one could imagine how the Center would evolve. Rather than merely a solid radiosurgical program with a regional presence – in itself a remarkable accomplishment – the Chesapeake Regional, Riverside and University of Virginia Radiosurgery Center has grown into a respected member of the international radiosurgical community, and has quite simply changed the way complex neuroscience and cancer care is delivered.
For more information go to Riversideonline.com/radiosurgery or call 757-264-9911 to make a referral.
