(BIVN) – A new linear accelerator will go-live with treatments at Kona Community Hospital on March 7.

The hospital’s Cancer Center’s Radiation Oncology Clinic celebrated the installation of a new Elekta Infinity™ Linear Accelerator today with a blessing and open house, officials say.

According to Kona Community Hospital:

The Elekta Infinity™, a state-of-the-art linear accelerator, was selected by KCH cancer center management and hospital leadership to replace and upgrade the existing technology. It is a comprehensive radiation treatment system that integrates imaging and treatment. It will allow KCH radiation therapists to personalize patient treatments, reducing treatment time and delivering targeted radiation treatments to cancer patients.

The new technology, which will go-live with treatments on March 7, will allow the hospital “to fine-tune and tailor patient treatments”, which in turn means that patients will experience fewer side effects, officials say. The precision treatments also minimize damage to surrounding healthy tissue resulting in quicker recovery.

The linear accelerator’s additional capabilities include:

• CT scans during treatment sessions to ensure the highest degree of precision through more accurate patient positioning
• Next-generation, high-resolution beam shaping, called “Agility” that allows the beam to conform to the size, shape and volume of a tumor, increasing accuracy.
• Option of three photon beams, four electron beams and two fast dose-rate “FFF” beams to deliver treatment tailored to each patient’s unique requirements

The Kona Community Hospital Radiation Oncology Clinic has been providing radiation therapy treatment to the West Hawaii community since 2005. They service approximately 3,600 patients annually.

“We’re very grateful to our community supporters for their commitment to this project,” said Kona Community Hospital CEO, Jay Kreuzer. “Special thanks go to the Kona Hospital Foundation for generously contributing $25,000 to this project. Their partnership is invaluable.”

Kreuzer also acknowledged “the collaborative support of Hui Mālama Ola Nā ʻŌiwi, Hilo Medical Center’s Hawaii Pacific Oncology Center and the Queen’s Medical Center for their roles in providing continuity of care to radiation oncology patients during the project.”

Kona Community Hospital is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, a special agency of the state of Hawaii established in 1996.