Thanks to a new technology called SPY imaging, cancer treatment just reinvented itself on the Western Slope. The new machine makes cancer treatment easier for certain surgeries involving melanoma, breast cancer, and gallbladders.

The machine is a handheld device that picks up on a green dye inserted into a specific area of the body. It’s a very target specific machine that picks up on only the problematic areas making surgeries much more efficient and successful without damaging any other tissues surrounding the affected area.

According to General Surgeon, Dr. Courtney Fulton describes how “It shows us the anatomy which is very important because we don’t want to injure certain structures during the surgery.” She also describes how because it’s such a visual device, it makes surgeries way safer for patients, and way faster for surgeons. “The pictures are very crisp, clear, it works very fast,” Fulton says.

As of right now, Community Hospital is the only hospital on the Western Slope that is using the SPY device, and so far it has proven itself to be a very fast, safe, and effective cancer treatment.