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| Vol. 24, No. 21 |
| November 15, 2002 |
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Methodist Sugar Land to Build Cancer Center Construction of a $7.3 million, 20,000-square-foot freestanding cancer center at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital will begin this spring and be completed by first quarter 2004.The center will feature state-of-the-art Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT, an innovative 3-D computer program and radiation system that delivers a dose of radiation directly to a cancerous tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue. The system can give a tumor of any shape and size the most appropriate dose of radiation because it actually designs the pattern of radiation that is administered. Research shows that patients receiving IMRT experience fewer side effects than those receiving conventional radiation therapy, said Thomas Graves, director of radiation oncology at The Methodist Hospital and consultant for the project. “The Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center was the first hospital in the United States to utilize IMRT for the treatment of cancer patients, and we are pleased to extend this technology to our Sugar Land facility,” he said. The hospital is slated to be the first in Fort Bend county to offer IMRT. Chemotherapy infusion also will be offered. “Methodist Sugar Land Hospital was built to bring Methodist quality, service and convenience to the residents of Fort Bend county,” said Methodist Sugar Land Hospital CEO James Heitzenrater. The addition of the cancer center is the second expansion since the hospital opened in March 1998. In the fall of 2001, the hospital completed an expansion that included the opening of a new 9,000-square-foot intensive care unit and a 7,800-square-foot addition to the obstetrics department.
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