BUTTE COUNTY, CA (MPG) – Enloe Regional Cancer Center has announced the roll-out of its latest, state-of the art technology in cancer treatments, the MRIdian Linear Accelerator.

The MRIdian Linear Accelerator marries the medical treatment technologies of Magnetic Resonance Imaging with that of a Linear Accelerator, used to direct radioactive rays to a designated target. In the past, combining these two technologies was thought to be an engineering impossibility, but recent advancements in the field have made that feat possible. The result, says Enloe Cancer Center’s Dr. Jonathan E. Clark, Radiation Oncologist, is “cutting edge” technology that can drastically reduce the number of radiation treatments needed while treating cancerous tissues.

This pioneering technology from ViewRay, the MRIdian Linear Accelerator, allows for physicians to treat cancerous tissues with pin-point accuracy, sparing surrounding healthy tissues, and ultimately reducing the number of treatments necessary. Dr. Clark says, “the benefits of this machine is to try and deliver very high dosages in a short amount of time, and those treatments can be as short as 3 to 5 treatments,” compared to standard methods of treatment that could require as many as 25-35 treatments. Fewer treatments mean a faster recovery and less side effects.  Dr. Clark says, “It is a huge leap forward for our field and that has been actually really exciting to be a part of.”

Currently, there are as few as 3 MRIdian Linear Accelerators in the State of California, with Enloe’s being the only one currently operating in the north state.

For more information on the MRIdian Linear Accelerator, visit www.enloe.org/services-and-treatments/cancer-care/radiation-oncology/mridian-linear-accelerator.