SAN ANGELO, Texas — Shannon Cancer Center is now the only medical facility in West Texas to offer surface guided radiation therapy (SGRT)- a groundbreaking method of treatment that doesn't require patients to receive permanent markings on their skin.
Instead, SGRT uses infrared cameras mounted on the ceiling, providing a more precise way to target the treatment area.
Hilton Blackwell, a radiation therapist at Shannon, said the machines used in SGRT are accurate to the millimeter. In fact, if a patient moves during treatment, the cameras pick it up and treatment pauses. Additionally, there are no needles needed during each session.
"That’s a permanent tattoo, so that was a constant reminder of their radiation (and) what they had to go through," Blackwell said. "And so, without having those constant reminders anymore, one, that’s a lot better for the patient mentally. Also, just being able to not have to go through that process of the needle and the ink. Some people are quite averse to getting stuck with a needle. I think we all are."
Blackwell said the process takes about 10 minutes from the time the patient walks into the treatment room until the time the machines stop. He said radiation therapy has gotten significantly faster than it was when he started.
Patients often undergo treatment five days per week for several weeks at a time. Blackwell said the process used to take close to 40 minutes at a time.
The availability of SGRT in San Angelo means patients no longer have to travel as far away as Houston to receive similar treatment.
"We just are very lucky in this region to be able to have the technology that we have for all the patients in San Angelo and the Concho Valley," Blackwell said.
Shannon's facility has two machines in neighboring rooms. Blackwell said the radiation therapists there see dozens of patients each day.