YAKIMA, Wash.-- North Star Lodge in Yakima is the first hospital in the state to use a new, state of the art radiation system for cancer treatment.
Much like previous systems, it uses a concentrated beam of radiation to remove tumors.
However, the new technology keeps track of the patient's movement, so the beam stays on the tumor and doesn't hit healthy tissue.
It even replaces the need for surgery in some cases. One patient we spoke with said she probably would've had a lung removed without the new machine.
"I've known other people who've had cancer and went through all the things and all the really terrible things that happened to them, and this has been very easy for me and I feel very fortunate," said Treatment Patient Carol Wyatt.
The new system also reduces the amount of time needed for each treatment. What used to take at least 40 minutes can now be done in 20 minutes, or even just five minutes a day.
North Star is hoping to install a second machine next year.
