Radiation therapist Patricia Smith prepares one of two new linear accelerators.

Radiation oncology facility now open in Temple!

Thank you to our donors for helping to bring advanced cancer care to even more patients in Central Texas.

Very few people live their lives without being touched by cancer—either their own illness or that of a loved one. In fact, the American Cancer Society estimates that one in two males and one in three females will develop cancer at some point during their lifetime.

Each year, 2,000 to 3,000 new cancer patients seek care at Baylor Scott & White Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center (VCTC) on our Temple campus, in addition to those already receiving care. About half of those patients need radiation therapy as part of their treatment. Your generosity is helping us meet this ever increasing need following the opening of the new radiation oncology facility adjacent to VCTC in April 2022.

“We are excited to expand our comprehensive cancer care services,” says Stephen Sibbitt, MD, chief medical officer for Baylor Scott & White - Central Texas region. “This new facility will allow us to significantly improve the entire patient experience and allow us to perform more complex procedures with decreased wait times.”

The 27,800 square-foot building features two linear accelerators with one extra vault for future expansion, a CT scanner with top-of-the-line imaging capabilities, an all-inclusive brachytherapy suite, a procedure room, and nine exam rooms. With the new facility, providers can treat up to 70 patients per day.

“Our ability to expand radiation oncology services was severely limited by the infrastructure we had—namely concrete walls on all sides,” says Dr. Niloy J. Deb, chairman and medical director of radiation oncology in the Temple market. “We needed more space to continue to update our technology with the newer and larger machines, and to expand our patient care capabilities. This new facility is a dream come true.”