AdventHealth Cancer Institute Begins Treating Patients with New Cancer-Fighting Technology, a First of its Kind in Kansas City

MERRIAM, Kan., October 24, 2024 — AdventHealth Cancer Institute Shawnee Mission began treating patients this week with the Elekta Unity MRI Linear Accelerator (Linac), a leading-edge cancer-treating technology. This advanced therapy uses MRI-Guided Radiation to view tumors in real-time during treatment, resulting in pinpoint precision, fewer sessions, and reduced side effects. After installation and construction were completed earlier this year, rigorous testing and commissioning of the machine ensued, followed by extensive staff training.

AdventHealth Shawnee Mission is the first in the Kansas City metropolitan area to offer MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy, addressing an unmet need in cancer therapy. The new technology enables personalized radiotherapy by integrating two critical but distinct technologies in a single platform: a state-of-the-art, high field (wide bore 1.5 Tesla) MR imaging system and a next generation Elekta linear accelerator to target cancer more effectively as the tumor’s size, shape and location change throughout treatment.

“This marks an important milestone in cancer care for the region,” said Bhaswanth Dhanireddy, MD, Board-certified radiation oncologist and Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at the AdventHealth Cancer Institute. “The addition of the advanced MRI-guided radiation technology to our cancer therapy options allows us to see and track tumors during treatment and respond accordingly, personalizing therapy for each patient every time they are treated.”

A large range of cancers can be treated with MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy. This therapy is ideal for tumors in and around the chest or abdomen and for treating cancers located in difficult-to-visualize soft tissue such as pancreatic, esophageal and colon cancers, among others.

“To be able to offer more precise radiation therapy that requires fewer doses and spares healthy tissue, is a demonstration of our commitment to innovate and provide care that helps our community feel whole. We are so proud to be the leader in this therapy,” said Sam Huenergardt, president and chief executive officer, AdventHealth Mid-America Region.

Dr. Dhanireddy added that MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy will be used to treat many different cancer types and may enable new therapeutic options for hard-to-treat cancers with anatomies that require high field imaging to effectively differentiate the tumor from adjacent healthy tissue (i.e., organs-at-risk). This will allow anatomies that were previously determined unsuitable for radiotherapy to be considered for treatment, ushering in a new era of hope for patients.

The installation of the new technology was carefully timed during construction of the Cancer Institute on the AdventHealth Shawnee Mission campus in January of this year. The magnet and ring components were hoisted by crane, then carefully lowered through the roof of the building and placed in a room specifically designed around the machine. The $76 million, 71,000-square-foot AdventHealth Cancer Institute offers all cancer care services, including physician clinics, CT and PET scans, infusion, radiation, laboratory testing and a world-class diagnostic breast center.

Additional patient-focused services emphasize AdventHealth’s commitment to compassionate, whole-person care and include financial navigation, nutritional counseling, lymphedema therapy, genetic counseling, massage, physical therapy and social work.

For more information about the AdventHealth care team and cancer treatment options, visit CancerCareKC.com.

About AdventHealth in Kansas City

With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. A focus on whole-person health and commitment to caring for the body, mind and spirit unify the system's nearly 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states. AdventHealth in Kansas City includes AdventHealth Shawnee Mission in Merriam, KS; AdventHealth Lenexa; AdventHealth South Overland Park, AdventHealth College Boulevard, AdventHealth Centra Care and AdventHealth Medical Group. Visit http://www.adventhealthkc.com for more information.