Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson is the first in Michigan to offer the Varian Ethos therapy system, a radiation treatment for cancer.
Driven by artificial intelligence, the system provides a real-time view of a patient’s anatomy and allows the radiation dosage to be adjusted in real time to continuous variations in the shape and positioning of the individual’s tumor and normal tissues.
Ethos is an advanced software update to the Halcyon linear accelerator, which was first used in the state by Henry Ford Allegiance Health in December 2019. The Ethos update’s personalized targeting capability helps improve overall outcomes and reduces radiation exposure to healthy tissue.
“We are the first hospital in Michigan and the fifth in the United States to offer the combined Halcyon technology and Ethos adaptive therapy, which increases the capability, flexibility, and efficiency of radiation treatment,” says Dr. Annette Kretzler, medical director of Henry Ford Allegiance Radiation Oncology.
A radiation treatment, including the Ethos option, typically takes 15 minutes. Henry Ford Allegiance Health plans to establish clinical research to maximize the full potential of the technology.
“Henry Ford Allegiance Health is on the leading edge of radiation treatment,” says Dr. Benjamin Movsas, interim medical director of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute and chair of its radiation oncology department. “Adaptive radiation therapy transforms our ability to fight cancer by personalizing radiation treatments in real time according to changes in each patient’s anatomy and internal organ motion. With the addition of this new technology, the Henry Ford Cancer Institute is honored to be one of the only cancer centers in the world to perform both MR-guided adaptive treatment and CT-guided adaptive treatment.”
The combined Halcyon and Ethos system was designed around the needs of cancer patients. Shorter treatment times combined with the equipment’s comfortable bed, smooth and quiet motion, and soft lighting help keep patients more comfortable.
“The acquisition of Ethos and Halcyon reflects Henry Ford Allegiance Health’s commitment to invest in the communities we serve by bringing local access to the best, safest, and most personalized cancer care technology available,” says Paula Autry, president and CEO of Henry Ford Allegiance Health and senior vice president and CEO of the central market for Henry Ford Health System.
Henry Ford Allegiance Health is a 475-bed system. Henry Ford Health System has six hospitals including Henry Ford Allegiance Health, more than 250 outpatient facilities, and more than 33,000 employees including more than 1,600 physicians.
