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LCRP Technology

LCRP's advanced technology includes:

• Picture archiving and communications system (PACS): To further promote collaboration among treatment providers, St. Joseph's/Candler installed a PACS, which provides authorized physicians universal access to diagnostic images and reports.
• PET/CT scans: The LCRP has a Lung Cancer Screening Program for at-risk patients that utilizes CT scans.
• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS): MRS technology measures chemicals in the body at much smaller quantities than is possible with traditional diagnostic tools. These readings help physicians differentiate between normal and cancerous tissues, which allows cancer to be identified long before a tumor mass would show up on traditional MRI, CT or ultrasound.
• Aloka system: This diagnostic ultrasound system is used by the gastrointestinal department and surgeons to obtain optimal image quality for the staging of gastrointestinal cancers, which helps to determine if pre-operative chemotherapy and radiation are necessary. This system is also useful in the operating room for aiding in the detection of liver tumors.
• Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS): A minimally invasive, more efficient and accurate method for diagnosing and staging lung cancer.
• INREACH^® developed by superDimension^®: Allows for electromagnetic navigation and guidance to distant regions of the lungs in a minimally invasive manner. This technology enables physicians to locate, test and plan treatment for lung lesions and lymph nodes that are difficult to access with traditional bronchoscopy. It also allows the physician to plant a seed next to the tumor for better targeted radiation treatment.
• Double balloon endoscopy (DBE): Advanced technology for minimally invasive diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of the small intestine. It allows physicians to endoscopically evaluate and treat disorders of the small intestine previously inaccessible without invasive surgery.
• Radiofrequency ablation: Used in tumors of the liver, bone, spleen, pancreas, breast and adrenal glands that provides a reasonable alternative for patients who are not candidates for definitive surgical resections of lung malignancies.
• da Vinci^® Surgical System: St. Joseph's/Candler is the only hospital in the region to offer this technology for the treatment of prostate cancer. The da Vinci Surgical System is a sophisticated robotic platform designed to enable complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach. By providing surgeons with superior visualization, enhanced dexterity, greater precision and ergonomic comfort, the da Vinci Surgical System makes it possible for more surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures, which ultimately raises the standard of care for complex surgeries, translating into numerous potential patient benefits (less pain, less blood loss, shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery).
• MoleSafe mole-mapping technology: MoleSafe creates a detailed record of patient's skin that can be used to monitor changes over time. For more information, click here.
• SpyGlass® Direct Visualization System: Provides a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat patients with liver, gallbladder and bile duct conditions by providing a direct visualization of the patient's bile ducts. Allows the gastroenterologist to visualize structures, malignancies and stones, and provides a more accurate means of obtaining specimens.
• Transanal endoscopic microsurgery: Using a special scope, instrument and camera, physicians can remove lesions in the rectum, eliminating the need for major surgery or a colostomy. The best candidates for this surgery are those with polyps low in the rectum or those who have early-stage rectal cancer.
• Video-assisted thoracic system: Using an endoscope (a tube with a tiny camera on the end) and other small tools that will be passed through several small incisions over the lungs, allows a minimally invasive surgical approach used to diagnose and treat illness or injury to the lung and other organs in the chest cavity.
• CyberKnife^®: The LCRP will be the only cancer program in the region where patients can be treated with the advanced CyberKnife for radiation therapy (scheduled to be in operation by spring 2011). The robotic CyberKnife treats difficult tumors with precision radiation and can automatically adjust to the patient's movements, such as breathing, which minimizes surrounding tissue damage.

Breast Care Technology

• Computer-aided detection (CAD): CAD assists the radiologist by analyzing mammograms for suspicious areas that may be indicative of cancer. CAD increases the sensitivity of mammograms by 15 percent, so many physicians utilize this technology as a second reference for their patients.
• Digital mammography technology: An advanced diagnostic technique that produces mammograms digitally, instead of producing film, and allows for easier manipulation to enhance the quality.
• Stereotactic breast biopsy: A simple, non-surgical outpatient procedure that can determine if an abnormality is cancerous. This procedure is quick, painless and decreases the amount of tissue removed for diagnosis.