MUSC Hollings Cancer Center technology upgrades continue with latest installation at Mt. Pleasant location

Mt. Pleasant, S.C. — New technology installed at the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center’s Mount Pleasant location now offers improved imaging capabilities for patients, as well as several types of external beam radiation therapy. TrueBeamTM is an advanced cancer treatment system offering the latest radiation therapy techniques, including new imaging features that increase precision and accuracy of radiation delivery. The first patient will be treated today.

The addition of TrueBeam technology at Hollings Cancer Center/Mt. Pleasant is the latest in a series of technology upgrades made across MUSC Health’s radiation oncology program over the past few months. A similar TrueBeam system was installed at the main location in downtown Charleston in August 2014, while a major upgrade of the Gamma Knife Center’s stereotactic radiosurgery technology was completed in September 2014. The new Gamma Knife system provides a nonsurgical method of treating tumors and abnormalities in the head and neck in a one-time, single day treatment.

“As a leading cancer treatment provider and research institution in the region, our goal is to stay at the forefront of cancer care,” said Dr. Jennifer Harper, MUSC associate professor and radiation oncologist. “The new TrueBeam system in Mt. Pleasant reflects our commitment to ensure patients are treated with the most advanced technology supported by clinical research and provides another access point for patients and their families to get expertise from MUSC physicians in a community location.”

A free open house event will be held on Thursday, February 12 from 4:30-7 p.m. at Hollings Cancer Center/Mt. Pleasant at 1180 Hospital Drive. The event will feature demonstrations of the new technology, and refreshments and beverages will be provided. The public is welcome to attend.

“With the TrueBeam’s treatment and imaging capabilities and availability of other important cancer services such as mammograms in the Mt. Pleasant community, breast and prostate cancer will be focus areas of treatment for us at this location,” said Dr. Harper. “We anticipate Hollings Cancer Center/Mt. Pleasant evolving into a destination for breast and prostate cancer treatment.”

For more information, call 843-876-8411 or visit www.MUSCHealth.org/radonc.

About Hollings Cancer Center
Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer program in South Carolina. Hollings offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques with multidisciplinary clinics that include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other specialists equipped to the full range of cancer care. In addition to the full range of clinical services, the cancer center has more than $42 million in cancer research funding and more than 200 clinical trials open to patients. For more information, visit www.hcc.musc.edu.

About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 13,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit www.muschealth.org.