Gainesville, Va. — November 2, 2009. The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology services as a result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

“This accreditation is an acknowledgement that we utilize state-of-the-art technology and best practices to provide high-quality patient care and operate at the highest standards for a radiation oncology facility,” says Dr. Sanjeev K. Aggarwal, the center’s medical director.

The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment. The surveyors report their findings to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report.

The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas is a strategic partnership of Fauquier Health and Prince William Health System dedicated to providing radiation oncology and support services to cancer patients in Northern Virginia. The center offers state-of-the-art radiation therapy technologies including IMRT, IGRT, and PET/CT scanning. The Cancer Center is the only facility in Northern Virginia to offer the faster, more precise RapidArc™ radiation therapy innovation. For more information, visit www.cancercenterlm.org.
 

Gainesville, Va. — April 28, 2009. Cancer patients in Northern Virginia and metropolitan Washington, D.C., will soon have access to an innovation in cancer care through The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas. The Cancer Center announced today that it will begin offering a fast, precise form of radiotherapy using advanced technology from Varian Medical Systems. The new RapidArc treatment, which is two to eight times faster than conventional radiotherapy, is scheduled to be operational in May.

“We’re proud to be the first facility in Northern Virginia to offer patients this excellent treatment option,” says Sanjeev Aggarwal, M.D., medical director at The Cancer Center.  “RapidArc technology will enable us to target some types of cancer more accurately while sparing more healthy tissue.” 

The Technology

RapidArc treatments at The Cancer Center will be delivered using a Clinac®/2100iX medical linear accelerator from Varian Medical Systems, outfitted with an On-Board Imager® kV imaging system for generating and using images to guide patient placement and treatment delivery. The linear accelerator rotates around the patient to deliver the radiation treatments from nearly any angle. 

During a RapidArc treatment, the radiation is shaped and reshaped as it is continuously delivered from virtually every angle in a 360-degree revolution around the patient. The beam shaping will be accomplished using an important accessory called a multi-leaf collimator (MLC), a device with 120 computer-controlled mechanical “leaves” or “fingers” that can move to create apertures of different shapes and sizes.

During a RapidArc treatment, specialized software algorithms will vary three parameters simultaneously: the speed of rotation around the patient, the shape of the MLC aperture, and the dose delivery rate.

Patient Benefits

Since the RapidArc technology delivers radiation therapy very quickly, in a single rotation of the treatment machine around the patient, it will be much easier on the patient.

“It’s hard for people to hold still for long periods of time. By delivering doses more quickly, we can simultaneously improve the quality of care and make our patients more comfortable,” explains Dr. Aggarwal.

The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas has treated nearly 1,000 patients since opening in February 2007. Dr. Aggarwal estimates that approximately 20-30 percent of the center’s patients – including prostate and head and neck cancer patients - might benefit from this new RapidArc technology.

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February 3, 2007, Gainesville, Virginia -- The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas officially opened its doors to the public with a VIP Reception and Ribbon Cutting on February 2 and a community open house today. Nearly 300 people attended each day.

The February 3 reception was for invited donors, board members, public officials, including the Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Aneesh Chopra, and staff members from Fauquier Health System and Prince William Hospital. This was an opportunity to recognize the tremendous contributions from our donors and the support from the hospitals and the community in the development of The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas.

Paul and Gina Rice were recognized for their $250,000 personal donation through the Fauquier Hospital Foundation, the largest donation to the center by any individual. The Estate of Paul Mellon donated $100,000; another $310, 000 was donated by 258 donors the Fauquier Hospital Foundation for a Foundation total of $660,000.  Prince William's Cancer Center fundraising campaign raised $1.8 million.

The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas is a joint partnership between Fauquier Health System and Prince William Hospital. It offers state-of-the-art radiation therapy for patients in Fauquier, Prince William, and surrounding counties.

"We are fortunate to have the most advanced radiation therapy equipment, including a linear accelerator with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. This technology delivers a greater dose of radiation to tumors while protecting surrounding tissue, lowering the likelihood of side effects," said Dr. Sanjeev K. Aggarwal, radiation oncologist and medical director for The Cancer Center.

The Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Aneesh Chopra, was in attendance for the ribbon cutting, to show his support for the center and to highlight the impact that electronic medical records (EMR) can have on delivering life-saving medical treatments more accurately and efficiently. "Both hospitals have shown tremendous vision in working together to open this much needed facility, utilizing the latest technologies, for this community," said Secretary Chopra.  Secretary Chopra referenced the mandates from both our national and local leaders to increase EMR systems. President Bush has called for electronic medical records for most Americans by 2014. Governor Kaine, in 2006, established the Governor's Health Information Technology Council, and charged it to "Build public-private partnerships to increase adoption of electronic medical records for physicians in the Commonwealth."

During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Rodger Baker, President and CEO of Fauquier Hospital and Chairman of the Board of The Cancer Center at Lake Manassas, and Mike Schwartz, president and CEO of Prince William Hospital, were both on hand to explain how approaching a solution to this problem together has benefited patients and families from Fauquier, Prince William, and surrounding counties.

"Each hospital was aware of this great need, but it was only when we joined together - and with much support from our communities -- that we are able to flourish and succeed in getting this much-needed facility built," said Baker.
 

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