History of Carolina Regional Cancer Center
While the Carolina Regional Cancer Center (CRCC) constantly adapts to stay in tune with the latest technological advancements, the dedication and desire of its physicians to provide the highest quality of care possible remains unchanging. The mission of CRCC is to save lives, and the doctors and staff of CRCC will do whatever possible to ensure that their patients receive the necessary treatment.
Originally known as Myrtle Beach Radiation Therapy Center (MBRTC), until being renamed Carolina Regional Cancer Center in 2002, the Center started with two employees and a 4-EX linear accelerator (LA) that was considered to be cutting-edge technology at the time. With no full-time doctors on staff, physicians would travel from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and make rounds at CRCC, where they would treat eight to 10 patients each day.
In keeping with the most current technology available at the time, the linear accelerator was upgraded to a 6-100 energy machine in April 1987 and a simulator was added. In 1989, Dr. Steven Bass (current medical director at CRCC) was an attending physician at MUSC, where he made rotations at CRCC until becoming the Center’s first full-time physician in 1990. In 1992, a building expansion was completed and a new Varian 2100C dual energy machine was added.
Two years later in 1994, Dr. Bass purchased CRCC, at the time still known as MBRTC. Dr. Bass purchased the Center with the goal of providing the region with the highest quality and most advanced care possible. In 1997, CRCC was an early adopter of the 3-D conformal treatment technology. This state of the art equipment continued to provide CRCC with cutting-edge cancer fighting tools. In July 2001, the building was renovated with the addition of an ambulance bay, new patient waiting areas, offices and a conference room.
In February 2002, the 6-100 linear accelerator was replaced with a new Varian 6 EX with Multileaf Collimators (MLCs). In May 2002, new treatment planning software was added to provide CRCC with one of the most important advances in radiation therapy in the last 30 years, the ability to provide Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatments. CRCC was one of the first to adopt this new technology in South Carolina.
On May 31, 2002, the name was officially changed from Myrtle Beach Radiation Therapy Center to Carolina Regional Cancer Center, P.A., reflecting the regional influence of the Center, as well as the spectrum of care provided to cancer patients. In June 2002, a new ultrasound machine was installed in the Varian 6 EX vault, and in January 2003, the Varian 2100C was upgraded with MLCs. Theraview portal imaging units were added to the treatment machines in 2005. The “record and verify system” was upgraded to an IMPAC image-guided radiation therapy system in 2006 and, with the IMPAC electronic medical record system, CRCC gained a flexible treatment management solution designed to support the complexities of image-guided radiation therapy.
Further establishing the credibility of CRCC, an affiliation agreement with MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center was signed in March 2006. The agreement partnered CRCC with MUSC and allowed them to participate in the MUSC clinical trials network. The clinical trials network adds another dimension of CRCC’s ability to offer cutting edge treatment options close to home. This affiliation also allows the physicians to join in tumor boards to discuss and offer insight into cases being reviewed. Additionally, they participate and contribute in educational opportunities for health professionals and the public.
In December 2007, CRCC began construction on a new wing, adding 6,000 square feet to house one of the latest and most effective forms of radiation therapy, the TomoTherapy® Hi-Art® treatment system, which is now available to CRCC patients. TomoTherapy, an advanced form of IMRT, provides CRCC patients with even more options in their fight against cancer.
In February 2008, CRCC became the only radiation facility in South Carolina to be accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR). CRCC has had a long history of upgrading to new technology and providing high-quality patient care. CRCC’s mission statement is to provide state of the art cancer care to all of its patients and to treat each patient as they would a family member.
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Carolina Regional Cancer Center
4708 Oleander Drive, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
