Pinpoint Accuracy Radiation
The Cancer & Research Center recently added a new
TrueBeam™ linear accelerator to their fleet of cancer-fighting equipment in the radiation therapy department. The new 30,000 pound unit is the Center’s second TrueBeam™ linear accelerator, which administers a dosage of high-energy x-rays to a patient’s tumor, working to eliminate the cancer, but preserve the surrounding healthy tissue -- permitting treatment of the most challenging cases and smallest areas. This new equipment allows faster treatment delivery, which means patients will spend less time on the treatment table. In addition, the simplified treatment console and less computerization means therapists spend more time with patients.
The new system features many other convenient attributes including:
- High intensity mode and new RapidArc radiotherapy allows for quicker treatment and less time for tumor motion during dosage delivery.
- Increased 3D image quality permits a higher resolution view of the tumor during treatment, but administers a lower dosage of x-rays to the patients.
- One button Image-Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) allows a simpler console for therapists to focus less time on the computer, and more time on their patients.
- An improved treatment couch enhances positioning and accuracy in tandem with imaging and treatment delivery.
The Cancer & Research Center's radiation oncology department underwent special training to become integrated and streamlined from treatment planning to treatment delivery. “Complex treatments that previously lasted 40 minutes to an hour will now be reduced to five to 20 minutes,” explained John T. Barrett, MD, PhD, spokesperson for the radiation oncology department, “and other treatments that lasted two to three minutes can be reduced to a minute.”
The linear accelerator's external beam can be used for a wide variety of radiotherapy treatments including image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery (IGRT and IGRS), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and VMAT, a next generation arc therapy technique that establishes new standards for radiation therapy treatment speed and dose reduction to the patient.
The ability to select the optimal treatment for every type of cancer is a breakthrough that lets the Cancer & Research Center bring a wider spectrum of advanced radiotherapy treatment options to many more patients. It represents a quantum leap in our ability to help people fight cancer.