Meeting Held in Miami to Discuss the Safety of Radiation Therapy Treatment

Huntington, NY (MMD Newswire) July 14, 2010 -- North Shore Radiation Therapy, the parent of Cyberknife of Long Island announced today their participation in the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) summit to discuss "Safety in Radiation Therapy" held June 24 to 25 in Miami.  This meeting brought radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, physicists, administrators, regulators and vendors together to discuss recent events published in the New York Times and to better understand and apply technical and operational improvements to ensure the safe delivery of radiation in the treatment of cancer.

Many of the 350 attendees at the ASTRO meeting offered suggestions for improvements to limit distractions during treatment and implement checklists to ensure compliance with proper procedures and protools for radiation therapy treatment delivery.  "The largets problem is that there are no universal methods in place for reporting radiation therapy errors" Jeffrey Musmacher, Chief Operating Officer at North Shore Radiation Therapy, parent company of Cyberknife of Long Island.  "Although we have a rigorous internal continuous quality program at our centers, many radiation therapy centers around the country do not.  Collaborating with centers around the country to develop tools for reporting incidents or potential errors could be a great learning experience for everyone involved in treating cancer patients".

In attendence at the meeting were leaders from many well known cancer centers including the Mayo Clinic and the University of North Carolina.  The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) also presented data reviewing the approval process for new medical devices such as the linear accelerator which are being changed to improve patient safety.  "We are proud to have been a part of this meeting and look forward to working towards improving radiation therapy treatments" said Mr. Musmacher.

Since 1988, North Shore Radiation Therapy has provided premier radiation therapy services in New York State.  The center offers Cyberknife Radiosurgery, 3-D Conformal Radiation Therapy, IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy), IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy), Rapid Arc, Partial Breast, Skin and Gynecological Brachytherapy.  North Shore Radiation Therapy is the most experienced in all modalities of prostate cancer radiation therapy including radiosurgery and IGRT in Suffolk County.  The centers are staffed by board certified physicians and highly trained clinicians with expertise in utilizing the most advanced radiation therapy technology.  Located in Huntington and Smithtown, New York, the centers are open Monday through Friday and accept all insurance plans.  Appointmens can be made by calling (631) 427-2273.  You can also visit the website at www.cancer-radiation.com or www.cyberknifeoflongisland.com