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Show APRIL 5,2007 HIGH DOSE RATE RADIATION THERAPY IMPROVES CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH CERVICAL CANCER You lie on a bed in a sterile, leadwalled room with no windows and a closed door. No visitors are allowed; every few hours someone comes in only long enough to drop off a tray of food. You are told that if you move, even to go to the bathroom, radioactive material inside your body could shift. Your sentence: 48 hours. No, this is not a nightmare. It's not a bad scene from a sci-fi movie. Until recently, it was the standard treatment for cervical cancer. According to Craig Donaldson, MD and medical director ofoncology at Dixie Regional Medical Center, the previous method for treating cancer of the cervix called for a radioactive seed to be -sutured into the cervix and left for 48 hours. During this time, the patient could not move. Nurses and other healthcare workers were exposed to radiation every time they entered the patient's room. This procedure was followed at least twice for every patient, and was typically followed by five weeks of 3D conformal treatment with external-beam radiation to the entire pelvis. A new treatment now offered at Dixie Regional's Huntsman-Intermountain Cancer Center provides a much safer^more effective way of treating patients with cervical and endometrial cancers. Called high-dose-rate (HDR) radiation, the new method "is absolutely the best way to treat these types of cancers," said Dr. Donaldson. It is stateof-the-art cancer care close to home. In high-dose-rate therapy, a small sleeve or tube is placed in the patient's cervix. The patient is then taken to a special shielded room, and the doctor inserts a high-dose-rate radioactive seed into the sleeve remotely, using a specially designed robot not unlike R2-D2. The treatment lasts for five or ten minutes, and then the seed is retracted into a lead safe inside the robot. The doctor controls the robot and observes the patient through cameras in the next room. "We generally prescribe about five of these treatments per'patient," said Dr. Donaldson. According to Dr. Donaldson's partner, Dr. Christian Hyde, the benefits of high-dose-rate therapy are threefold: "First is patient convenience. Second is the fact that it's an outpatient procedure." Five or ten minutes of treatment in the cancer center definitely beats two days with no visitors in the hospital. "Finally, it's safer. We are able to protect the doctors and nurses from repeated exposure to radiation. And it's a comfort for patient families, who previously worried about being irradiated by Page 14 THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER their loved one." So far, high-dose-rate radiation has been used at Dixie Regional to treat cervical and endometrial cancer. The day may not be far away when we see it used in esophageal, lung, prostate, and other cancers. 'This is very high-end medicine," said Dr. Donaldson, "and it is very curative." Potential sidebar: Cervical cancer is fairly rare in southern Utah, thanks in part to the effectiveness of pap smears in detecting abnormalities before they become deadly. The new cervical cancer vaccine promises to further curtail this form of cancer. So how do doctors in a population center like St. George, stay current on treatment protocols for cancers they may see only a couple of times a year? First, they are constantly training. But when doctors need the benefit of someone who sees a lot of a specific type of case, they bring the expert to St. George — virtually. About once a month, doctors at the Huntsman-Intermountain Cancer Center in St. George link up with doctors at other Intermountain hospitals across the state for a high-tech conference call to review specific cases. The doctors are linked by computers that display patient information like MRIs, CAT scans, and PET CTs. The doctors discuss all the aspects of each case, and then talk about treatment options. While not every case is discussed, there are times when statewide case review can be very helpful. "If I want to consult with the doctor who does just cervical cancer, I can do that," says St. George radiation oncologist Dr. Christian Hyde. "It means I can give my patients at Dixie subspecialty level cancer care right here at home." THANK YOU We would like to thank-Dr. Becky and all of the staff at Garfield Memorial Hospital for their excellent care and kindness during Alan's recent medical emergency. We would also like to thank Troy and Cauleen Pollock and Jody Haley for their wonderful friendship and support. :..' • Also- our thanks go but to all of our friends and neighbors who offered their support and assistance during this trying time. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all of you!! •'#$$& Thank YouAll, Allen and Shelley Yardley c ;: :; ' and family > ESCALANTE NEWS ...by Chris Haycock, 435-826-4832. plateofdreams@scinternet. net Well Folks, what little bit of "winter" we had this past week, luckily had some moisture in it. With Easter coming upon us real soon hopefully it'll prompt the April Showers in good taste so we can have May Flowers. The Escalante Native Plant Gardeners will meet on April 10th, at 7:00 PM in the Interagency. Office conference room. Kristin Legg, Chief of Resources and Research at Bryce Canyon National Park, will speak on Bryce Canyon's Beautiful Native Plants. The next scheduled Track meet for our athletes are April 12 in Hurricane. "Made ya think" To help lift depression eat; Sweet Potatoes, whole-wheat bread, Tuna, Flaxseed, Spinach, Chicken, Mushrooms, Salmon Mackerel Walnuts. Avoid foods containing omega6 fatty acids, such as corn and soybean oils. Get your families summer activities in our Escalante News, either e-mail me, call or even write me a letter. Happy Easter and be safe. ADVERTISE IN "THE INSIDER" IT WORKS!! • Call 676-2621 WEDDINGS Dirks - McBride Mary Elizabeth Dirks and Terence Michael McBride were united in marriage on March 17 in the Logan LDS Temple. A reception was held in their honor that evening at the Ivy Lane Reception Center. The bride is the daughter of A. Stephen and Barbara B. Dirks or Ogden. Parents of the bridegroom are Steven W. And Bonnie C. McBride of North Ogden. She earned a business degree with a marketing emphasis from Westminster College. She works as a media planner for McCann Erickson. He graduated from Weber State University with a technical sales degree after serving in the Brazil Sao Paulo North LDS Mission. He is a quality assured supervisor for Maverik Inc. After their honeymoon, the couple will reside in Bosie, Idaho. BENNETT PUSHES FOR FUNDING THAT WILL INCREASE PAYMENTS TO UTAH COUNTIES BY MILLIONS Senator Says Full Funding for PILT and Secure Rural Schools is Long Overdue Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) joined a bipartisan group of western U.S. senaT tors to successfully pass a provision that will increase funding for two federal programs - Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program and Secure Rural Schools (SRS) - that counties rely heavily on to help support education, transportation, public safety, environment and housing efforts. "For decades, Utah counties have faced woefully inadequate compensation for public lands within their borders. We changed mat today with passage of this amendment," said Bennett. "Finally, we can correct the imbalance we've faced for so many years and forge a way to send more funding to counties that need and deserve it most." Bennett is an original cosponsor of the Wyden- Reid amendment that will fully fund the PILT program for the first time since 1994. Administered by the Department of the Interior, PILT payments are intended to off-set the loss of tax revenues due to the tax-exempt status of public lands. The payments also help counties provide services required under the myriad of unfunded federal mandates. Last year all 29 Utah counties received PILT payments, totaling more than $20 million. If this becomes law, payments nationwide would increase by more than $ 100 million over thefiscalyear 2006 level ($232.1 million). The amendment will also reauthorize the SRS Program, which expired on September 30, 2006, and the last payment was made in December 2006. President Bush has proposed a five-year extension, but it is uncertain when Congress would act on that extension. This amendment will restore funding for SRS and give much needed assistance for rural counties affected by the decline in revenue from timber harvests in federal lands. Traditionally, these counties relied on a share of receipts from timber harvests to supplement local funding for school systems and roads. Funding from SRS has been used to support more than 4,400 rural schools and to help maintain county road systems. The amendment passed the Senate by a vote of 75-22. |