Calypso® 4D Localization System™
CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in the Midwest to offer the Calypso® 4D Localization SystemTM, also known as GPS for the Body. This technology shows real promise for people fighting prostate cancer.
In this video, you'll hear from Dr. Bernard Eden, Director of Radiation Oncology at CTCA at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. As Dr. Eden describes the Calypso® system, you'll see, through 3D medical animation, how it works.
"Prior to the development of this Calypso® system, there was no effective way to monitor prostate motion while radiation was being delivered to the prostate gland. By using the GPS for the Body®, we can actually track the prostate motion during treatment. This allows us to increase the dose of radiation to the target and spare the radiation to the surrounding normal tissues," says Dr. Eden.
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Dr. Bernard Eden: Cancer Treatment Centers of America inside Illinois is the first hospital in the Midwest to offer the Calypso system known as GPS for the body in treating prostate cancer.
Prostate motion can be a significant factor when treating with radiation. Because of this, we need to have some technique of monitoring this motion during the radiation treatment. Prior to the development of this Calypso system there was no effective way to monitor prostate motion while the radiation was being delivered to the prostate gland.
By using the GPS for the body we can actually track the prostate motion during treatment and this will allow us to increase the dose of radiation to the target and spare the radiation to the surrounding normal tissues.
In order to use the GPS system for the body we first have to implant transponder beacons into the prostate gland. We implant three of them and they are each about the size of a rice grain. This is done in an outpatient setting and the patient goes home the very same day. After this, the patient is then planned for the radiation treatments and then the treatments begin.
We are very excited about the technology that’s used in the GPS system for the body. We feel that it has a potential for broad application to numerous tumor sizes such as breast cancer or lung cancer.