The Elekta Harmony, a new and advanced linear accelerator, is allowing Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to provide more patients with precise radiation therapy. The machine, which was implemented in November 2024, is the most recent technology to help the Center improve patient care with accuracy and efficiency
“Our patient volume is always increasing,” explained Mary Bird Perkins Chief of Physics Sotirios Stathakis, Ph.D., DABR, FAAPM. “This linear accelerator will help us accommodate up to 10 more patients a day and reduce their wait time, while maintaining precision in their treatment.”
The Elekta Harmony provides precise radiation dosing for many types of cancer, including tumors found in the brain, breast, lung, and prostate. It arrived for Mary Bird Perkins patients almost a year to the day after the Elekta Unity, a revolutionary fusion of MRI and linear accelerator technology that has already benefitted more than 100 patients.
Together, these tools offer patients at Mary Bird Perkins a wide range of advanced radiation therapy options. Cancer Center experts are revolutionizing cancer treatment as the only program in Louisiana to offer Adaptive MRI-guided Radiation Therapy— customizing high-energy radiation to match a cancer tumor’s shape.
These advanced tools often enable therapists to provide a more accurate dose in fewer visits, which saves many patients time and money by reducing travel time to the Center.
“Depending on each patient’s situation and the details of their particular cancer, we now have all the tools we need to treat them safely and precisely,” Dr. Stathakis said.
An advanced, precise linear accelerator
The Elekta Harmony delivers precise, versatile radiation therapy by using higher doses of radiation while minimizing damage to surrounding, healthy tissues.
The machine’s innovations include a large monitor, so radiation therapists have all the information they need at their fingertips throughout treatment. The integrated screen includes workflows to help guide the setup, as well as key details such as patient information, treatment plan details, patient positioning information, and image guidance data.
“All the information is right there in front of the therapist and the patient,” Dr. Stathakis explained. “That way, we can provide more efficient and precise care.”
Dr. Stathakis and his team will soon begin a research study to determine precisely how much time—and how many steps—radiation therapists are saving thanks to this improved setup.
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Though it has only been at Mary Bird Perkins a matter of months, the Elekta Harmony is already making a difference to patients at the Cancer Center.
“The first day we treated five patients, the next day we treated seven, and then eight,” Dr. Stathakis said. “It’s been just over a month, and we’re already up to 29 patients per day. It’s very promising. To provide the best care possible, and do it in a way that benefits patients, providers, and everyone involved is exciting for all of us.”
The Elekta Harmony helps improve efficiency, accuracy, and enables the Cancer Center’s therapists to treat more patients more effectively. It all comes back to the Mary Bird Perkins mission: for all team members, improving survivorship and lessening the burden of cancer is our priority.
To learn how you can help support vital patient services, visit marybird.org/giving.