It was a diagnosis that Debbie Porreca never expected.
"In 2009, I was not feeling well. I was having some very vague symptoms, ended up in the ER, and they incidentally found a very small lung mass," Porreca said.
Porreca was a non-smoker, but at age 41, the Trenton mother of four boys was diagnosed with lung cancer.
She had surgery to remove part of her lung.
"For seven and half years, I was living cancer-free. Then in May of this year, I found a lump," Porreca said.
The cancer was back, and this time, Porreca needed radiation. But her doctor suggested something new -- a therapy using MRI-guided radiation.
"The ViewRay MRIdian Linac is a brand new way of approaching radiation," said Dr. Ben Movsas, the chair of radiation oncology at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute.
The ViewRay uses MRI to track a tumor during treatment in real time.
"It essentially takes off the blindfold for the radiation oncologist and allows us to see in real time not only where the target is, but also the surrounding normal structures," Movsas said.
As different parts of the body move when a patient breathes, for example, the ViewRay shows that and doctors can make immediate changes.
"It allows us to make sure that we give the radiation dose precisely to the target and to avoid the other normal structures," Movsas said.
For patients, more precise radiation could mean fewer side effects and shorter or fewer treatments.
The technology can be used to treat cancer anywhere in the body, but it's especially beneficial for tumors in the liver, pancreas, adrenal and lung areas -- spots that tend to have more movement. It might also improve care for breast, prostate, kidney and gynecological cancers.
The main limitation is that a patient can't have any sort of implant that wouldn't be safe in an MRI.
For Porreca, it was a no-brainer. She was one of the first patients treated at The Henry Ford Cancer Institute, which is the first in the world to have an FDA-approved system like this.
"When the option was brought up, it was not a question in my mind that it was something that I wanted to do," Porreca said.
The only side effect that Porreca has experienced is a little fatigue. She still faces chemotherapy, but is grateful that the ViewRay was an option for her.
MORE: ViewRay at Henry Ford Cancer Institute
Trending
