{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=5c1813cc-6a33-4aa2-b2ab-55935c8ad6c8", "Murkowski Helps Bring State of the Art Cancer Technology to Alaska", "2013-12-13", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.13.13\n\t\t\t Murkowski Helps Bring State of the Art Cancer Technology to Alaska \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Senator Cuts Through Red Tape, Allows Procedures to Start Next Week\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t ANCHORAGE, AK \u2013 Senator Lisa Murkowski\u2019s office this week helped a local cancer treatment center bring a state of the art machine online that will allow for the treatment of some brain cancers without ever cutting into the patient\u2019s skull.\u00a0\r\nIt is called a Gamma Knife, and it focuses 200 tiny beams of radiation directly at a tumor with minimal impacts to the surrounding, healthy tissue.\u00a0 Previously, Alaskans needing this type of brain cancer treatment were forced to travel to Seattle on their own dime; paying for travel, hotel, meals for 3 to 4 days plus the emotional toll of being away from home and family during a major treatment for a serious disease.\r\n\u00a0  \r\nThe Gamma Knife at the Anchorage Radiation Therapy Center \r\n(Click on the image for video of doctors discussing the importance of the Gamma Knife in Alaska)\r\nBringing the technology to Alaska has taken years and a specially designed bunker had to be constructed to house the machine at the Anchorage Radiation Therapy Center.\u00a0 But last minute bureaucratic hurdles from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission threatened its operation.\u00a0 Red tape Sen. Murkowski\u2019s office found a way to overcome.\u00a0 Now, four Gamma Knife procedures, the first of their kind in Alaska, can happen as scheduled next week.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u201cWe were under the impression from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that everything was a go, and then they discovered that there was some additional paperwork that they needed,\u201d said Dr. Stephen Settle, Medical Director of the Gamma Knife Program at the Anchorage Radiation Therapy Center.\u00a0 \u201cThat was going to take some great length of time to resolve and Sen. Murkowski cut through that very quickly.\u00a0 Now those patients who are scheduled for procedures next week can still get them thanks to Sen. Murkowski.\u201d\r\n\u201cWith this machine and this technology, we hope to treat 50 to 75 patients a year,\u201d said Dr. Richard Chung, President of the Anchorage Radiation Therapy Center.\u00a0 \u201cThat means 50 to 75 Alaskans who won\u2019t have to travel out of state to get the treatment they need.\u00a0 This would not have been possible without the Senator\u2019s help.\u201d\r\n# # #\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n    \n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n     \n\t\n \n\t\n    \n    \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t  \n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=5c1813cc-6a33-4aa2-b2ab-55935c8ad6c8"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9185168892145157, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}