The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital has become the first oncology center in Southern New Jersey to implement a new treatment platform that harnesses adaptive therapy and artificial intelligence to target tumors with a precision that enhances effectiveness and reduces treatment-induced side effects.
The Ethos system is the next step in linear accelerators, machines that deliver radiation beams to targeted areas of the body to destroy cancer cells. The Ethos linear accelerator allows Jefferson’s radiation oncology team to adjust the patient’s radiation dose based on real-time changes in the patient’s anatomy and tumor position, ensuring the most accurate and effective radiation treatments.
While such pin-point accuracy is beneficial to many cancer patients – doses adjusted to exact tumor sizes can reduce side-effects and the length of treatment – Ethos’ new technology can more accurately target tumors that can move before or during treatment (such as tumors on the prostate, liver, pancreas and lungs) by minimizing radiation doses to surrounding healthy tissue.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States in 2022, 1,851,238 new cancer cases were reported. In the United States in 2023, 613,349 people died from cancer.
“The addition of our latest-generation Ethos linear accelerator complements our existing array of technology, allowing us to not only create a truly personalized treatment recommendation but also to adjust the radiation delivery each day, on the spot, to improve both treatment of the tumor as well as protection of the surrounding normal tissue,” said Dr. Tamara LaCouture, chief of cancer services for Jefferson Health in New Jersey.
“This all happens through harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and, often, with the use of fewer treatments, potentially just five or less.”
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital is part of Jefferson’s NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, providing patients with advanced treatment plans, the latest screening techniques, access to an array of clinical trials, a network of ongoing support and more.
Jefferson Health, which employs 65,000, dates back to 1824 and comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health is the largest health-care provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas.
