New Technology Enhances Cancer Care at Halifax Health

Dr. Brad Factor, radiation oncologist

New developments in technology can mean new hope for cancer patients. That’s why Halifax Health continues to expand its cancer care and recently added the latest radiation techniques, which deliver treatments with more precision over a shorter period of time.

For breast cancer patients, Halifax Health offers partial breast high-dose-rate brachytherapy. Using this technique, after the cancerous tumor is surgically removed, the cavity left behind is filled with a radioactive source. That way, treatment is delivered straight to the area where cancer is most likely to recur.

“For some patients with early-stage breast cancer, we can administer radiation therapy twice a day for a week instead of the traditional seven-week course,” said radiation oncologist Brad Factor, MD. The procedure also can be used to treat gynecologic cancers.

To deliver treatment to a tumor while sparing nearby healthy tissue, Halifax Health also has added:

• Image-guided radiotherapy, which gives treatment teams a more accurate view of the tumor
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy, which varies the shape and intensity of the radiation to treat multiple areas of the body

Dr. Factor, new radiation oncologist Charles “Chick” Hechtman, PhD, MD, and chief physicist Vadim Kuperman, PhD, have been instrumental in making sure these new technologies are available to Halifax Health patients.