Farrell, Pa. – Mercer and Lawrence County residents now have access to the most sophisticated radiation oncology treatment at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Horizon-Shenango Valley, with the addition of a second linear accelerator (linac). The $9.6 million project included the construction of a vault for the new, state-of-the art linac, which delivers high-energy, external beam radiation treatments that precisely target a variety of cancer tumors wherever they are in the body, including lung, breast and prostate cancers.
"When demand for UPMC services increases, we prioritize and we respond to the needs of our community," said Dave Patton, president, UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson. "Providing this second linac will increase access to the essential, lifesaving cancer care our community needs as residents continue to put their trust in the unique expertise of UPMC."
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Horizon-Shenango Valley has been serving the community for more than 13 years and is one of more than 70 UPMC Hillman centers across Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Ohio and even abroad with locations in Italy, Ireland and Croatia.
In 2011, when UPMC Hillman Cancer Center added high-quality comprehensive cancer care for the area, there were 186 patient radiation oncology consultations and 4,160 treatments provided. In 2024, there was a substantial increased demand for care with 460 new patients and nearly 8,000 radiation oncology treatments provided.
"Close-to-home access to the nationally ranked UPMC Hillman Cancer Center can be life changing," said Patton. "We live our UPMC mission by continually advancing services and increasing availability of our world-class care and treatments in all the communities we serve."
The Varian Truebeam Linear Accelerator will be an addition to the conventional external beam radiation therapy, currently located at UPMC Hillman at UPMC Horizon. The second linear accelerator will allow for increased access for the growing population of patients in the region and the ability to treat different types of cancers that have, in the past, required patients to travel to Pittsburgh.
"Our new Varian Truebeam Linear Accelerator adds two specialized dynamics. We can provide stereotactic body radiation therapy that allows us to treat certain lung and pancreatic cancers, which may have spread to other areas of the body and are difficult to treat," said Uzoma Iheagwara, M.D., radiation oncologist, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, UPMC Horizon. "This system will also provide stereotactic radiosurgery, which is a minimally invasive procedure that makes use of a 3D system to better target cancerous and noncancerous lesions, including brain abnormalities, with high dose radiation with increased precision and accuracy."
"With the latest technology and skilled experts at UPMC Horizon in Farrell and Greenville and UPMC Jameson in New Castle, backed by the science and research of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, UPMC is clearly the standard in cancer care in this region," said Dr. Iheagwara.
Over the past 25 years, UPMC has invested more than $150 million to elevate services at UPMC Horizon, including the expansion of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center locations in Greenville, New Castle and Farrell.
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"When demand for UPMC services increases, we prioritize and we respond to the needs of our community," said Dave Patton, president, UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson. "Providing this second linac will increase access to the essential, lifesaving cancer care our community needs as residents continue to put their trust in the unique expertise of UPMC."
