Spotlight on Cancer Technology

High-tech sophistication for the best outcomes possible

Better technology equals better outcomes for cancer patients. ProHealth Care's Regional Cancer Center is committed to offering the latest cancer treatments to help patients by giving them the best chance of beating the disease. To do this, we've invested in the most advanced cancer treatment technology, normally found only at large academic research facilities.

Radiosurgery and robotic surgery

CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery

CyberKnife® is a very precise form of radiation treatment that uses a computer-controlled robotic arm to aim highly concentrated beams of radiation with pinpoint accuracy to tumors.  This precisely directed radiation attacks tumor cells while minimizing injury to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor.  CyberKnife® is the most revolutionary cancer treatment technology in the world and is located at Waukesha Memorial Hospital.

Additional Information on CyberKnife®

daVinci® Robotic Surgical System

The Center for Prostate Cancer Care is proud to offer patients robotic prostatectomy surgery using the state-of-the-art daVinci Surgical System.  Urologists utilize this technology to perform highly precise minimally invasive surgery for removing the prostate.

SuperDimension Bronchoscopy System

Wisconsin's first superDimension inReach^TM System is at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. It makes it possible to perform electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopies to locate, test and diagnose as well as potentially treat lesions in the most difficult areas of the lung, enabling lung cancer to be diagnosed at earlier stages.

Sophisticated radiation oncology systems

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

IGRT is the latest radiation oncology equipment, offering advanced precision.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

IMRT is a high-tech cancer treatment method that uses computer-generated images to plan and deliver high doses of radiation directly to cancer cells in a precisely targeted way not possible with conventional radiotherapy. Since IMRT delivers higher radiation doses directly to cancer cells, it spares more of the surrounding healthy tissue with fewer side effects, giving patients a much improved chance for a cure.

High Dose Radiation (HDR)

HDR allows doctors to place radiation sources inside a tumor, decreasing radiation treatment time by more than half for breast, prostate and gynecologic cancers. With HDR treatment, very tiny plastic catheters are placed into the affected areas. A series of radiation treatments are delivered through the catheters, allowing physicians to control the radiation dose in different regions treatment area. The catheters are removed after the treatments. 

Prostate seed implants

Prostate seed implants can be a particularly suitable radiotherapy option for patients diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. Radioactive seeds (Iodine-125) are injected into the prostate under anesthesia and emit low levels of radiation for a few months. The procedure is usually performed on a one-time, outpatient basis and takes about two hours. Although the seeds eventually stop delivering radiation, they remain in the body permanently.

Advanced imaging capabilities

PET/CT

Waukesha Memorial Hospital was the first hospital in Southeast Wisconsin and one of the first in the entire world to offer PET/CT imaging. This imaging system produces incredibly detailed images and provides information about cancer location and metabolism, making cancer treatment planning much more accurate.

Additional Information on PET/CT

Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS)

VATS is a minimally invasive procedure that allows surgeons to examine the chest cavity and perform a variety of procedures to treat lung cancer and other lung diseases. Physicians insert a tiny camera through a small incision in the chest. The camera sends images to a video monitor, guiding the surgeon as he or she performs the procedure. 

BAT System

B-Mode Ultrasound Acquisition and Targeting (BAT) is a high-tech tool that precisely targets the location of the prostate immediately prior to daily radiation therapy treatments. The BAT system is painless and improves cancer treatment accuracy with its ability to accurately locate the prostate to within 1-1.5 millimeters.The Center for Prostate Cancer Care was the first in the state to offer the BAT system.

Breast cancer technology

MammoSite®

The Center for Breast Care offers this sophisticated, precisely targeted, high-dose radiation treatment option for women with breast cancer. By placing the radiation source in the space left where a tumor has been removed, MammoSite works from the inside to kill cancer cells. Treatment with MammoSite® dramatically cuts the number of treatments needed to just one week.

All digital mammography

Mammography is an X-ray imaging technique specifically designed for the screening, detection and/or diagnosis of lumps, tumors and other abnormalities in the breast. With full-field digital mammography, the image can be adjusted to enhance for differences in breast tissue, offering superior breast cancer detection rates and better diagnostic accuracy.

Stereotactic and ultrasound needle breast biopsy

The latest biopsy techniques combine precision digital and ultrasound imaging to pinpoint the area of concern.  A hollow needle is inserted through the skin and tissue sample is taken.  No stitches are needed and there is much less recovery time.  Stereotactic and ultrasound needle biopsies are less costly than surgical biopsy, but more importantly, they are equally effective in making an accurate cancer diagnosis.

Breast MRI

MRI takes high-resolution images using a magnetic field instead of radiation. MRI is often used along with mammography to image areas of concern in the breast. Cancerous tissue needs a greater blood supply than healthy tissue, and MRI images show greater contrast in areas of increased blood flow, helping a physician determine if an area is cancerous or not. This MRI technique is used with patients who have a strong family history of breast cancer, newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and patients with complicated mammograms.