Willis-Knighton Cancer Center Has Top Technology
Published Jun 27, 2008
Cancer patients here have a powerful weapon in their arsenal to battle the menacing disease – the Willis-Knighton Cancer Center and its indefatigable director of radiation oncology, Dr. Lane R. Rosen.
Born and raised in Shreveport, Rosen returned to the region a decade ago after his residency in radiation oncology and biophysics at George Washington University Medical Center.
Today, Rosen’s four-person team boasts “one of the best-equipped radiation departments in the world,” he says. “Willis-Knighton in particular has been very supportive in the purchasing of very high-end technology.”
In 1998, the cancer center was an early adopter of intensity modulated radiation therapy, which allows doctors to customize the radiation dose for different treatment areas.
The next step was TomoTherapy, and the center was just the third in the nation to add the technology in 2004.
“What really made TomoTherapy special was it took our original IMRT protocols to the next level by not only providing the most conformal type of radiation that existed, but also with daily CT scans for guidance,” Rosen says.
That means better aim at the target, thus sparing healthy tissue from radiation exposure.
The center has treated more than 1,000 TomoTherapy patients from all over the country, and about 30 international visitors have dropped by Shreveport to check out the sophisticated cancer-fighting instrument. Rosen is also a sought-after TomoTherapy speaker.
In keeping with its tradition of staying ahead of the curve, more innovation is on the horizon for the center, Rosen adds.
“We’re about to have an even bigger impact on this region because we’re going to be one of the first 10 to 15 places to offer something called proton therapy,” Rosen says.
He predicts that Willis-Knighton is two years away from proton therapy, touted as the most precise radiation treatment yet.
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
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