Article: State-of-the-Art Cancer Technology

Columbia St. Mary's First to Bring State-of-the-Art Cancer Technology to Wisconsin

In the game of horseshoes, you’re rewarded with one point for coming close to the stake. You get even more points for throwing a “ringer” that encircles the stake.

When it comes to treating a tumor with radiation, it’s not enough just to come close; for the best outcome, you need to have a ringer.

The most targeted and versatile radiation therapy system in the world is now available to cancer and neurological patients at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospitals. Trilogy™, a radiotherapy and medical imaging system, allows for three-dimensional treatment and is one of the most powerful, accurate and versatile radiation systems on the market.

Columbia St. Mary’s is the first health system in Wisconsin to use the breakthrough technology of Trilogy™. When it comes to treating cancer, Columbia St. Mary’s is on par with other renowned centers in the country such as MD Anderson Cancer Center, Stanford University Medical Center, and Emory University that are also using the Trilogy™ system.

Manufactured by Varian Medical Systems, Trilogy™ treats tumors with image-guided radiation. At the core of the Trilogy™ system is a high-powered linear accelerator that moves around the patient to deliver radiotherapy from various angles. The system is able to concentrate radiation doses on a tumor while it spares surrounding healthy tissue. It also shortens the treatment from an hour, to just minutes.

“It combines the best of several different therapeutic tools,” said Dr. Carl Olson, Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology and Medical Director of Cancer Services at Columbia St. Mary’s.

In addition to delivering conventional forms of radiation therapy, Trilogy™ can be used to treat small lesions and tumors with the greatest precision available. Trilogy™ monitors and then compensates for any movements patients make, including normal breathing, which makes other forms of radiation therapy weaker, more difficult to administer and less precise.

In the past, the best way to target brain tumors was with a gamma knife which pinpoints solitary tumors. Trilogy's™ equipment accomplishes the tasks of a gamma knife, but with shorter treatment times. This means that in addition to cancer, doctors can use the system to treat benign brain tumors and other neurological conditions more expeditiously.

“With other equipment, you can’t visualize with any degree of certainty what tissue you’re treating,” Dr. Olson said. “But with Trilogy™, you can visualize with certainty. Trilogy™ does everything the gamma knife, cyber knife and tomotherapy machines do, and more.”

Benefits of Trilogy™

• Targets tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
• Machine rotates around the patient to deliver radiation from different angles.
• Trilogy™ monitors and then compensates for any movements patients make, including normal breathing.
• Treatment is faster and more accurate than other procedures.
• Trilogy™ does everything the gamma knife, cyber knife and tomotherapy machines do, and more.
• In addition to cancer, it may be used to treat benign brain tumors.
• Cost-effective for patients and health professionals.