Miller had chemo and then a lumpectomy. For
It's called the Versa HD accelerator. Patient are placed on a table that can move in six directions with a built in cat scan that allows for a tailored target of the tumor for each patient. Limiting organs like the heart from unnecessary radiation can be difficult. A perk of the Versa is the Active Breathing Coordinator System. Miller was a candidate because of her cancer in her left breast.
"The idea is a fairly simple idea, but when you take a deep breath it may move the breast farther away from the heart and so we are able to deliver radiation to the breast and avoid the heart even more," said Dr. Jackie Matar, a radiation oncologist.
Miller was able to utilize this technology that she says was easy and painless.
"You put a mouth piece in, it's much like a snorkeling mouth piece and you connect to a computer and you inhale to a level that is comfortable.
It is a new approach designed to shorten treatment time and reduce side effects, a combination that has paid off for Lori Beth Miller, now a cancer survivor.
"There are so many good things out there after cancer, I never thought it would be the end of me," said Miller.
