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Renown Health's Institute for Cancer has the most advanced radiation therapy system of its kind and the first program in the region with American College of Radiology (ACR-RO) accreditation. To serve you, our certified team of experts includes highly trained doctors, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, and registered nurses.   What is Radiation Therapy? A common form of cancer treatment, radiation therapy uses high-energy particles to eliminate cancerous cells and may be used in conjunction with other treatments, like chemotherapy or surgery. What to Expect Treating cancer with radiation is a process that usually lasts about five to eight weeks. The first two appointments are consultation, simulation, and mapping, which help plan treatment. Short, daily radiation treatment appointments follow these. Why Choose Renown? Renown's state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam radiation therapy system delivers treatment so precisely; it reaches sub-millimeter levels of accuracy. In addition, unlike other treatment centers in the region, Renown has the technology to deliver radiation from 360 degrees around the patient's body, allowing us to target cancerous cells and save healthy tissue. Consultation The first appointment is called the consultation. A radiation oncologist meets with the patient to discuss treatment options, perform a physical examination and answer questions. Simulation and Mapping Since radiation therapy aims to target cancer while sparing healthy tissue, to maintain body position and stillness is essential. A CT scan is used to pinpoint cancer's exact location in the patient's body during the simulation and mapping appointment. Doctors refer to these scans as they work together to craft a treatment plan. Patients are fitted with immobilization devices that keep the body still during treatment. In addition, brain and head, and neck cancer patients are equipped with a mesh mask to keep the head and neck in position. For cancers elsewhere in the body, patients are fitted with foam molds that form to the body. These personalized molds are kept on hand for use during daily radiation treatments. Additionally, the radiation therapist creates several pinpoint-sized tattoos on the patient's skin to ensure each daily treatment targets the same area. These tattoos are permanent but small enough to go unnoticed by others. Daily Radiation Treatments At each treatment appointment, a radiation therapist helps the patient.

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Your Cancer Care Team Close to Home The William N. Pennington Cancer Institute team wants you to feel confident in the care we provide. Our dedicated doctors, nurses, therapists, dietitians, social workers, and other support staff work together to assure you receive the best care close to home. We serve our communities with the primary location in Reno, a satellite office at Carson Valley Health, and through Telehealth at Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon, Nevada.

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The Healthy Nevada Project – a first-of-its-kind population health study combining genetic, clinical, social and environmental data – has reached another landmark milestone. The study is notifying study participants at risk for familial hypercholesterolemia, BRCA and Lynch syndrome. “I took part in the Healthy Nevada Project to find out my ancestry. I didn’t even realize the test could give me so much information,” says 29-year-old Jordan Stiteler, who was recently diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (also known as FH) through the Healthy Nevada Project. “After my dad passed away suddenly at age 45, I learned I had high cholesterol but I didn’t know it was genetic and I didn’t get an FH diagnosis until last week,” Jordan explains. “I immediately changed my diet, started walking more and doing more cardio. I also set up an appointment with my primary care physician for the first time in a while. I’ve talked with my family and even strangers about testing since my diagnosis. I hope my story will inspire others to test and can save someone’s family from going through the same loss I did.” Healthy Nevada Project Notifying Patients of Familial Hypercholesterolemia Risks Jordan is among the first Healthy Nevada Project participants to receive clinical results from the genetic study led by Renown Institute for Health Innovation (Renown IHI) – a collaboration between Renown and the Desert Research Institute Foundation. This groundbreaking population health study is now reaching out to study participants like Jordan, who asked to be notified of health risks. If study volunteers choose, the project will also provide guidance on treatment and additional testing for family members who may also be at risk. The project is starting with the return of FH risks which is a genetic tie to high cholesterol. Just a few months ago, a paper in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology recommended genetic testing become the standard of care for patients with a definite or probable FH diagnosis. Jordan says she plans to have her young son tested as well. “This is the future of health; not just reacting to sick people, but a coordinated effort between innovative technologies, data-driven researchers, and responsive practitioners to deliver personalized interventions to identify, prevent and treat disease,” says Anthony Slonim, M.D., Dr.PH., FACHE, president and CEO of Renown Health and president of Renown IHI. “As care providers, we often don’t see patients until they’re already sick and that’s a difficult problem. By embracing personal genomics, we can accelerate the ability of researchers to access data and apply those learnings back to our health system sooner.” In the Months Ahead: Notification of BRCA1/2 & Lynch Syndrome Risks The Healthy Nevada Project will start notifying study volunteers at risk for other CDC Tier 1 conditions including hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (BRCA 1/2 genes) and Lynch syndrome in the months ahead. These conditions are the key focus for the Healthy Nevada Project. The reason: Because early detection and treatment will save lives, and these conditions are some of the most common. “This research allows us to look into cancer, cardiac, respiratory illness and beyond to identify underlying causes, assess real risks and eventually initiate appropriate preventive actions much earlier. Human subject research is often intangible to participants – we are treated as subjects. The Healthy Nevada Project is creating actionable information for our participants while engaging in leading-edge research on health determinants,” said Joseph Grzymski, Ph.D., associate research professor at DRI, principal investigator of the Healthy Nevada Project and chief scientific officer for Renown Health. Landmark Population Health Study Continues to Expand Since launching two years ago, the Healthy Nevada Project has quickly evolved and expanded. The pilot project enrolled 10,000 participants in just 48 hours in September 2016. In March 2018, phase two of project expanded to an additional 40,000 participants with genetic testing partner, Helix. Helix’s genomic sequencing provides participants and researchers greater depth and quality of DNA data. With this, they can gain further insights to improve health. During a recent media roundtable announcing the return of clinical results, the Healthy Nevada Project also announced plans to complete testing of 40,000 people by the end of 2018. This will bring the project’s total enrollment to 50,000 people – approximately 10 percent of northern Nevada’s population. The Healthy Nevada Project hopes to reach more than 250,000 people in its next phase. The ultimate goal is to offer genetic testing to every Nevadan interested in learning more about their genetics and health. Join the Healthy Nevada Project Recruitment for phase two is still open. In addition to opting in to receive clinical results, participants receive National Geographic’s Geno 2.0 ancestry app at no cost. They also have the chance to pick an additional app for health and wellness after completing a follow-up survey. Learn More or Sign Up

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Without a doubt, taking medications can not only be expensive, but also confusing. In the United States, generic prescriptions are widely used, with 9 out of 10 people choosing them over a name brand. Pharmacists are a great resource to help us understand the benefits and side effects of any medication. We asked Adam Porath, PharmD, Vice President of Pharmacy at Renown Health, to answer some common questions about generic drugs. What is a generic drug? A generic drug has the same active ingredients of brand-name drugs. Brand-name drugs have a patent (special license) protecting them from competition to help the drug company recover research and development costs. When the patent expires other manufacturers are able to seek approval for a generic drug. However, the color, shape and inactive elements may be different. Per the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), a generic medicine works in the same way and provides the same clinical benefit as its brand-name version. Why do they cost less? Generic drug makers do not have the expense of costly development, research, animal and human clinical trials, marketing and advertising. This savings is passed on to the public. Also after a patent expires, several companies will compete on a generic version of a drug, further driving down prices.

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