Blessing Cancer Center radiation oncology department retains national accreditation

QUINCY — The Blessing Cancer Center’s radiation oncology department recently earned reaccreditation from the American College of Radiation Oncology.

ACRO ensures the highest quality care for radiation therapy patients and promotes success in the practice of radiation oncology. Accreditation is a voluntary process in which professional peers identify standards of a quality radiation oncology practice, and conduct an audit to assure that the standards are followed by treatment centers applying for accreditation.

Blessing undergoes the reaccreditation process every three years and has held accreditation continuously since 2001.

The Blessing radiation oncology department is currently the only ACRO accredited treatment center in Illinois. The next closest ACRO-accredited center is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There are no ACRO accredited centers in Missouri.

In a press release, Dr. Mark Khil, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director at Blessing Cancer Center, said, “I would highly recommend a family member or friend be treated at an ACRO accredited center. Accreditation is confirmation that the Blessing radiation oncology department delivers the safest, most effective radiation oncology possible to every patient.”

“Earning ACRO accreditation is voluntary and not an easy achievement to accomplish,” said Dr. Rob Johnson, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director at the Blessing Cancer Center. “Our team feels holding this accreditation is another way patients and their loved ones can know they have made the best choice for their cancer care by choosing Blessing.”

Khil and Johnson are on-site daily, responsible for managing the radiation treatments of each cancer patient. They are assisted by a highly-trained team comprised of a medical physicist and two dosimetrists, as well as a very experienced staff of radiation therapists and nurses.

The department delivers treatment using an advanced TrueBeam STx linear accelerator. It uses enhanced, real-time imaging tools so the physicians can see the tumor more clearly and observe its movement during treatment. The technology allows for more precise and concise treatments which include image-guided radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Other treatment options the department offers are superficial therapy for skin cancers and real-time precision prostate brachytherapy for prostate cancer.