The Lawson Cancer Center at Pikeville Medical Center is using innovative technology to treat patients whose treatment plans call for radiation therapy. In 2021, PMC installed a state-of-the-art TrueBeam Linear Accelerator from Varian Medical Systems, which allows radiation oncologists at the Lawson Cancer Center to deliver radiation treatments more accurately than ever before.

“At the Lawson Cancer Center, I am proud to be part of an incredible group of specialty physicians who have advanced technology and tools at our fingertips to treat cancer,” says Dr. Collett. “This new technology now available at PMC has enabled us to treat smaller tumors without affecting healthy surrounding tissue, which is so much better for our patients.”

The Varian TrueBeam Linear Accelerator was purchased with a $2.9 million dollar grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA). This would not have been possible without the support of U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers, who is a true champion for Eastern Kentucky and Pikeville Medical Center.

The TrueBeam Linear Accelerator allows PMC’s radiation oncologists to target and treat very precise areas of the body. During a treatment, the radiation beam is continually shaped and reshaped according to the size, shape and position of the tumor, resulting in the protection of healthy, surrounding tissue.