TomoTherapy® HD developers combined a radiation system with a CT-scanner. Such a design ensures an ongoing effective volumetric CT-scanning for higher precision of patient’s positioning during each radiation fraction.
TomoTherapy® HD was designed specifically for implementing IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) technology and IGRT (allow ongoing visual control of tumor’s sizes and position during the treatment process).
IMRT is a high-precision radiation therapy method allowing the dose distribution in the patient’s body in a form close to the shape of the tumor. Unlike traditional methods, IMRT provides opportunity to better protect healthy tissues and organs. Due to this a high radiation dose can be delivered to a tumor without jeopardy to the surrounding tissue.
The IGRT (Image-Guided Radiation Therapy) system is responsible for patient positioning accuracy and radiation targeting precision through daily imaging. Preparation of three-dimensional images is an integral part of the treatment process in TomoTherapy® system. That is, the system is designed so that it is impossible to avoid a three-dimensional visualization of the tumor and subsequent positioning of the patient against x-ray image before each fraction.