New LINAC technology will ensure continued high-quality care for patients in Peterborough and surrounding communities

January 13, 2021 [Peterborough, ON] – Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and Lakeridge Health are pleased to announce that the radiation treatment facility at PRHC resumed operation on Monday, January 11, following the replacement of the linear accelerator (LINAC) technology in late 2020.

“We are pleased to welcome patients back to PRHC for their radiation treatments this week,” said Brenda Weir, Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at PRHC. “The new LINAC has been made possible through our partnership with Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health. Regular renewal of our equipment and technology helps us to maintain high-quality care for patients, and to keep PRHC’s radiation treatment facility consistent with a provincial standard of care.”

“The installation of the radiation facility at PRHC in 2013 has brought cancer treatment closer to home for more than 2,000 patients and families in Peterborough and the surrounding communities in the years since it was first opened,” said Lesley Heighway, President of the PRHC Foundation. “The installation of this facility was made possible at the time through the generous support of PRHC Foundation donors, and we are excited about this further provincial investment into state-of-the-art radiation technology that will ensure patients in our community continue to receive the best cancer care possible, closer to home.”

Construction to replace the LINAC began in September 2020. Throughout the fall and early winter, patients who would normally receive their treatment at PRHC have received their treatment at the Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health.

“Ensuring cancer patients are well-supported at every stage of their treatment journey is the goal of the Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health and indeed all members of the Central East Regional Cancer Program,” said Kirsten Burgomaster, Interim Regional Vice President, Central East Regional Cancer Program. “The exceptional collaboration between Lakeridge Health and PRHC showcases this commitment and contributes to the continued delivery of safe, high-quality cancer care across the region.”

A medical linear accelerator (LINAC) is the device most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer. The LINAC delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of the patient’s tumour in a way that destroys the cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.

PRHC continues to have enhanced measures in place for patients and visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please visit: https://www.prhc.on.ca/about-us/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/ 

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For more information:

Michelene Ough
Director, Communications
Peterborough Regional Health Centre
mough@prhc.on.ca

Sharon Navarro
Manager, Public Relations & Digital Communications
Lakeridge Health
snavarro@lh.ca