Radiation Oncology: Advanced Treatments & Technology
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Breakthrough Cancer Treatment Technology
CTCA obtains the latest, cutting-edge treatment tools and technology to bring new hope and options for treatment to our patients now. Dr. Eden points to TomoTherapy® as a prime example.
“We were the fifth or sixth hospital in the world to have the TomoTherapy® Highly Integrated Adaptive Radiotherapy System®,” he says. “To be able to use that for our patients has been an incredible opportunity.”
Calypso®
One of the latest tools we’ve acquired offers new treatment possibilities for prostate cancer patients. The Calypso® 4D Localization System™, also known as GPS for the Body®, aids in targeting external beam radiation. Using this groundbreaking technology, our radiation therapy team locates the prostate tumor and actively monitors the prostate’s motion during treatment. Calypso® helps us to target cancer cells and avoid injury to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor.
TomoTherapy®
Because of its exceptional accuracy, this enhanced form of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) allows us to safely treat tumors in areas that are extremely difficult to reach. TomoTherapy® integrates imaging technology with radiation therapy. Each time patients receive TomoTherapy® treatment, they first undergo a CT scan from the same machine. Moments after the CT scan is taken, radiation therapists make technical adjustments to the system to align the patient’s programmed radiation treatment to the exact position of the patient.
As Dr. Eden explains, “TomoTherapy® allows us to focus the radiation precisely onto tumor targets and spare the healthy tissue and organs surrounding the tumor from the radiation.”
In December 2008, CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center (Midwestern) opened a brand-new, radiation oncology suite complete with one of the most innovative, powerful and precise radiation therapy delivery tools available: Varian's Trilogy™ system.
Trilogy™
Trilogy™ offers capabilities for providing Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiation Therapy, 3D Conformal Radiation, Fractionated Stereotactic Radiation Therapy, and Stereotactic Radiosurgery—all from one machine. This technology’s real-time imaging gives us up-to-the-second data so we can monitor tumor motion during treatment, provide extremely targeted radiation therapy and avoid harm to healthy tissues that surround tumors. Furthermore, the speed at which Trilogy™ administers treatment is significantly faster than some other radiation therapy delivery systems. Because the system delivers each treatment so quickly, it minimizes the time patients spend in the treatment room receiving radiation therapy.
Radiation Therapy at Midwestern
Midwestern offers several types of radiation therapy, including:
- IMRT
- Trilogy™
- TomoTherapy®
- External Beam Radiation Therapy
- 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy
- High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy
- MammoSite® Radiation Therapy
