New accelerator expanding cancer treatment in Butler
The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is getting a new linear accelerator that can address forms of cancer not previously treatable at Benbrook Medical Center and increase the number of patients who can be seen in a day at the Butler Township facility.
The introduction of a second linear accelerator at Hillman, a joint venture between UPMC and Independence Health System, is removing barriers to treatment which could be invaluable to cancer patients who may otherwise have to travel far for treatments.
Dr. Heath Skinner, chairman of the department of radiation oncology for Hillman Cancer Center, said construction began in March on the multiple-ton concrete structure that will house the accelerator, and it should be done by February. The new accelerator will be capable of stereotactic radiotherapy, which can be used to treat brain tumors and lung tumors with fewer side effects, according to Skinner.
The addition of the accelerator is necessary, Skinner said, because of the number of patients in need of treatment within the Butler area, whose health outcomes may suffer if they have to travel far for what could be daily treatments.
“We believe it to be extraordinarily needed in the community,” Skinner said. “Bringing in another machine, it’s going to increase the number of patients we can take.”
Hillman Cancer Center opened at Benbrook Medical Center in 2006. UPMC’s joint partnership with Independence Health System began in 2012, when the system was known as Butler Health System. Through the partnership, UPMC and Independence Health System share costs and resources and the cancer center accepts numerous health insurance plans. The construction of a new linear accelerator is a $6 million investment, a cost that is shared by UPMC and Independence, Skinner said.
Dr. Michael Fiorina, chief medical officer for Butler Memorial and Clarion hospitals in Independence Health System, said an average of 25 patients are treated by the linear accelerator per day. While the second accelerator might not immediately double the number of patients the facility can treat in a day, Skinner said Independence and UPMC are planning to implement the staff necessary for a higher patient volume.
“Exactly how many physicians will be there will depend on the number of patients,” Skinner said. “Bringing in another machine, it's going to increase the number of patients. It’s hard to estimate, but it will certainly increase it or even double it.”
Access to radiation that can treat specific types of cancer is also invaluable to the Butler area, Fiorina said. Patients undergoing cancer treatments may have to receive radiation frequently, so increasing the treatment ability of a Butler facility will help area patients cut down on travel time to their appointments.
“These are people who may have to have treatment five days a week for six weeks, and some of these treatments are as short as a half an hour,” Fiorina said. “We’re breaking down these barriers where now people who need brain radiation and certain types of lung radiation.”
The Benbrook Medical Center itself is owned by the health systems and the tenants of the building, according to Dr. Constantine Balouris, president of Benbrook Medical Holdings. Balouris pointed out the parking lot for the facility is also being expanded to manage the patient volume that may come with the completion of the linear accelerator.
Fiorina said the biggest benefit of the partnership between UPMC and Independence Health System is the systems’ ability to create a several-million dollar investment in a place that serves many residents of Butler County.
“This community still has the availability to be very well-served,” Fiorina said. “Now, people can drive within their own community to receive world-class cancer care.”
