2019-2023 Cancer Report

Latest MRI Technology Enables Earlier Detection of Cancer At Englewood Health, investments in the most advanced technology available today have enabled critical progress in precision imaging, and thus, the earlier diagnosis of cancer. One such investment was the pro- curement of a 3-Tesla (3-T) MRI machine, which doubles the clarity of images and resolution over the 1.5-T MRI machine, which was pre - viously used. This new MRI technology can de- tect smaller lesions and anatomic structures. With the 3-T MRI ma - chine, images are generated fast- er, so patients do not need to stay inside the scanner for as long. The machines themselves are also not as physically confining as previous renditions of the technology. “That’s important,” says Mark Sha - piro, MD, chief of radiology at En- glewood Health. “The chance that a patient will remain still and reduce the possibility of a motion artifact is better with these MRIs, and that supports our ability to make an ac- curate diagnosis.” Englewood Health now has four 3-T MRI machines, covering both inpa- tient and outpatient imaging needs. This technology is available on the hospital campus, as well as its im- aging sites in Fair Lawn and Jersey City. Englewood Health’s effort to bring advanced diagnostics into commu- nities—along with its team of sub-

py to treat liver cancer. During ra - dioembolization, tiny glass or resin beads filled with the radioactive iso- tope yttrium Y-90 are placed inside the blood vessels that feed a tumor. “The volume of patients treated with Y-90 has grown significantly,” says Allison Barone, MD, an inter - ventional radiologist at Englewood Health, “particularly in recent years.” The radiation from the Y-90 beads damages the tumor cells while spar- ing healthy liver tissue surround- ing the cancer. This procedure can support the treatment of liver can- cer by improving symptoms and slowing down disease progression, especially in cases where surgery is not possible. “Patients experience few side ef - fects from this treatment, which can extend and improve their quality of life,” adds Dr. Barone.

specialty train radiologists whose expertise is in the detection of spe- cific cancers—is leading to earlier diagnoses and improved prognoses. Interventional Radiologists Elevate the Treatment of Liver Cancer At Englewood Health, a team of in- terventional radiologists works with the cancer center to ensure pa- tients have access to all available treatment options. This close col - laboration enables patients with the most advanced cancers to engage in novel treatments that improve their quality of life. An excellent example of this is the growing reliance on radioemboli- zation to treat cancers of the liver. Radioembolization is a minimally invasive procedure that combines embolization and radiation thera-

Eliana’s Story —Thyroid Cancer SCAN TO READ

“I was immediately thinking: will I need surgery, radiation, or chemo? By that time, there had been so much cancer in my family. I think I suffered from having too much information.”

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