North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 657)
Dr. Mark McLaughlin and Dr. Kenneth Brooks, Wellstar North Fulton Cancer Center, joined host John Ray on this episode of North Fulton Business Radio. Drs. McLaughlin and Brooks discussed the innovative CyberKnife technology employed by the Cancer Center and their respective roles as a radiation oncologist and medical physicist. They also shared why CyberKnife technology is so groundbreaking, what types of cancers it is best suited for, how it improves the patient experience and outcomes, why people should choose Wellstar North Fulton for cancer care, and much more.
North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
People face cancer with confidence at Wellstar because of their multidisciplinary care model, physicians’ expertise, and advanced treatments close to home. In fact, they have more than 300 healthcare providers that provide expert cancer care at nine cancer programs with convenient locations across Georgia.
Their multidisciplinary teams surround patients and their families with knowledgeable and compassionate support. Specialty programs for patients are led by physicians with advanced training. Here, patients see leading specialists who are experts in their fields.
Wellstar invests in state-of-the-art technology and participates in clinical trials to give patients access to a variety of advanced treatments including minimally-invasive surgery, high-precision radiation dosages by CyberKnife and TrueBeam delivery systems, intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC) as well as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies based on the latest advances in biomarker testing. Patients who qualify for clinical trials have access to groundbreaking treatments, often years before they are FDA-approved.
Because of Wellstar’s integrated approach to cancer treatment, their programs are nationally recognized by The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Commission on Cancer and the Care Continuum Centers of Excellence (CCCOE), a program of the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer, among others.
Radiation Oncology
At Wellstar, radiation oncologists design a personalized plan for each patient. Radiation therapy delivers targeted energy from X-rays or radioactive sources to destroy cancer cells in a localized area.
Cancer is caused by cells with mutations in the DNA that cause them to grow uncontrollably. Wellstar radiation oncologists use advanced radiation techniques and technology to turn cancer’s strength into its greatest weakness. Radiation attacks cancer by altering the DNA within cancer cells and preventing them from reproducing and growing. Radiation therapy is completely painless—what patients experience during the radiation treatment is similar to undergoing imaging X-rays.
Radiation is effective for treating patients with many different types of cancer, including lung, breast, and prostate cancer. Wellstar radiation oncologists design the best radiation therapy for each person based on the cancer type, the stage, and various factors. The patient may benefit from radiation alone or combined with other cancer treatments such as surgery, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy.
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Dr. McLaughlin received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Duke University and his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He completed his surgical internship at Shands Teaching Hospital, College of Medicine at the University of Florida, where he also completed his residency in radiation oncology. Dr. McLaughlin also holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Central Michigan University.
Dr. McLaughlin is board-certified in radiation oncology. In his spare time, he enjoys sports, travel, gardening, boating, martial arts, and reading.
Dr. Kenneth Brooks, Medical Physicist, Wellstar Health System
Dr. Kenneth Brooks is a Medical Physicist with Wellstar Health Systems.
His specialties are radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, and nuclear medicine.
Questions and Topics in this Interview:
- What’s so great about Wellstar North Fulton Opening the Cyberknife Center?
- What is CyberKnife technology?
- What types of Cancer does CyberKnife treat?
- How does CyberKnife improve the patient experience and outcomes?
- Why should people choose Wellstar North Fulton for cancer care?
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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