Cleveland Clinic's New Radiation Unit Only One of Its Kind in Ohio

More than 50 cancer patients have undergone treatment so far in the Cleveland Clinic's new state-of-the-art radiation suite at its

The suite is the only one in Ohio and one of 11 in the country to feature both a linear accelerator and a CT scan, allowing doctors to track tiny changes in the size and location of tumors and pinpoint radiation treatment.

It went into use Dec. 1, according to Dr. Andrew Vassil, the radiation oncologist who oversees the center.

 "It really completes oncology for Strongsville," Vassil said.

The huge linear accelerator was lowered by crane into a 2,135-square-foot basement expansion at the Cleveland Clinic building, 16761 Southpark Center, that was designed with 6-foot-thick, lead-lined walls.

"We want to make sure we bring world-class cancer care closer to Strongsville," said Dr. Joshua Miller, medical director for the facility.

The rest of the expansion includes a waiting room with a TV, wireless Internet service and a computer where visitors can check their e-mail.

"We were looking at patient and family comfort," Miller said. "We wanted it to be somewhere people aren't scared to come."

There is also an exam room with a conference table so doctor and patient can discuss cases and a high-tech teleconferencing center for doctors to consult with colleagues off-site.

Chemotherapy is administered on the second floor of the facility. Miller said a long-range plan is to move that to the basement, adjacent to the radiation suite, to create a full-scale cancer treatment center.