Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales Installs New, Leading-Edge Radiation Treatment Technology

GONZALES, La. – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales has announced its investment in the new Elekta Infinity™, a highly sophisticated radiation treatment system for cancer that substantially reduces the time required for radiotherapy while giving clinicians the ability to treat targets more aggressively. The Cancer Center began treating patients using this technology last week.

“By bringing this state-of-the-art technology to our Gonzales center, we are providing our medical staff with even more options to ensure patients receive the most precise and beneficial treatment plans,” said Konstantin “Kos” Kovtun, M.D., radiation oncologist, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “As we continue to keep pace with the rapidly expanding area of precision medicine, our patients stand to benefit from expedited and tailored radiation therapies such as the Infinity.”

Elekta Infinity incorporates Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), an innovative way to deliver radiation treatments that are a significant improvement over more conventional approach. With Elekta’s VMAT technology, the target area is continuously irradiated while the source of the beam rotates around the patient.

To minimize unnecessary radiation exposure, Elekta Infinity incorporates ultra-low dose capabilities through active leakage reduction to ensure minimal dose to critical structures, and Elekta Infinity incorporates real-time assurance that the intended dose is delivered as precisely as planned.

Clinicians using Elekta Infinity can create a dose that conforms very tightly to the target area in significantly less time than with traditional techniques. Elekta VMAT achieves this with sophisticated computer programming that simultaneously controls five different system components (gantry position, gantry speed, leaves of the multi-leaf collimator, collimator angle and dose rate).

“Because the Elekta Infinity can target tumors aggressively without damaging healthy tissue, we are doing everything we can to minimize any additional impacts cancer treatment can have on our patient,” said Ryan Houston, cancer program administrator, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales. “Lessening the burden of cancer is a focal point of our mission and the Infinity, combined with our physicians and team members’ expertise, helps make that a reality.” 

The Elekta Infinity™ is the latest new technology added to the Cancer Center’s growing arsenal of cancer treatment capabilities. Earlier this summer, the organization announced the availability of a new radiation treatment option, PLUVICTO, for patients with an advanced prostate cancer diagnosis – prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (PSMA-positive mCRPC). The Cancer Center’s Gonzales location is the first provider in the region to offer this radiation treatment.

The Cancer Center in Gonzales also recently introduced infusion therapy, allowing patients to access infusion in a comfortable and convenient location close to home.

Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales is located at 1104 Louisiana 30 W. For more information, visit marybird.org/location/Gonzales.

About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for more than 50 years. The cancer care organization provides care at 10 centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Gonzales, Hammond, Houma, Opelousas, Slidell, and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. Mary Bird Perkins has a strategic affiliation with OneOncology and the largest radiation and medical oncology groups from across the area including exclusive partnerships with Southeastern Louisiana Radiation Oncology Group, which provides radiation therapy throughout Mary Bird Perkins’ service areas, Northshore Oncology Associates, serving St. Tammany and Washington Parishes, specifically the communities of Covington and Slidell and Louisiana Hematology Oncology Associates, which services the Greater Baton Rouge area. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.