St. Joseph’s Health Celebrates New Radiation Technology

Last week, St. Joseph’s Health held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Radiation Oncology to dedicate the new Halcyon Linear Accelerator system, considered to be the most patient-friendly radiation treatment in the industry.

“The Halcyon system is revolutionizing how we treat patients by enhancing and simplifying the entire radiation delivery process,” says Dr. Sabin B. Motwani, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this game-changing  technology as we strive to provide exceptional cancer care close to home. Better, faster and highly accurate treatment is now the norm for patients who receive their radiation care at St. Joseph’s.”​

The new next-generation technology has been designed with the patient in mind. Instead of an enclosed structure which can be claustrophobic for some, the large donut-like design and bed is similar to a CT scanner, a familiar site to most patients. The patient lies down on a table, which moves in and out of the treatment area. “Our team can enhance the quality of care for patients with more targeted and streamlined radiation treatment, while at the same time considerably reduce the side effects from treatment,” added Dr. Motwani.

The system currently is being used on patients with head and neck, lung and prostate cancers, but the new technology will enable us to expand and treat other forms of cancer in the future.

The addition of the new Linear Accelerator is a part of St. Joseph’s overall oncology expansion initiative. “As we go forward, we are excited for the next steps in this project to be completed, which includes developing a dedicated Women’s Health Center on our Wayne Medical Center campus, and a dedicated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Totowa,” said Lisa Brady, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer.

The Halcyon Radiation system delivers image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) up to four times faster than standard technology. It also delivers varying or modulating intensities of radiation for cancer treatments that last only a few minutes per session. “Very simply, it delivers radiation treatment more easily, more efficiently and with greater comfort, without compromising on quality,” explains John Hart, Executive Director of Radiology and Oncology Services. “It’s an amazing piece of equipment, and we’re excited for our radiation therapy team because they’ve done a great job for so long, but now have the latest technology that allows for even better quality, safety, and accuracy.”