Beam therapy under visual control – IGRT (Image Guided Radiation Therapy)
The precise check of the tumor’s location by means of overlapping of the CT-image received prior to the treatment onset, and the image received prior to the beginning of every procedure with the aid of a built-in CT-device.
With the aid of the IGRT technology, an immediate visualization and recording of changes in the patient’s position and coordinates as well as of the changes in the tumor’s location and shape are carried out, making it possible to minimize the error range. In such a manner the doctor is able to receive the tumor’s image just before the irradiation, or even during the session when the patient is located on the treatment couch.
Whenever necessary, a correction of the patient’s position and/or the beams direction is carried out, for a more precise irradiation of the tumor as well as for prevention of damage to the healthy tissues surrounding the tumor.
The IGRT is critical to the successful treatment of tumors located in the movable organs and areas of the body such as lungs (which move while breathing), liver, prostate, and also of tumors located adjacent to vital organs or tissues.
The IGRT equipment is frequently used in conjunction with the IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) method. These methods allow to precisely determine the doses of irradiation of the malignant tumors or specific zones within the tumor itself
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
In much the same way as a CT scanner has opened a new era in obtaining medical images, the TomoTherapy System of the US company Accuray made an epoch in the radiation therapy. The epoch in which the patient’s quality of life is the highest priority. TomoTherapy in TomoClinic is used for the first time in Ukraine.
The TomoTherapy®HD radiotherapy system is the gold standard among external beam therapy systems. It combines the advanced technology of the radiation beam formation and daily control of the patient’s and the target’s (the tumor’s) position using computer images. It enables the doctors and the patients to be sure of the highest accuracy and safety of the medical treatment.
Reliable protection against exposure of healthy organs and tissues
In situations where other radiation therapy machines are powerless, the TomoTherapy® HD reaches the established target with the minimum level of exposure of the patient’s healthy organs and tissues.
The TomoTherapy machine integrates the computed tomography – a CT scan – with the intensity modulated radiation therapy. The tumor’s contours and the surrounding healthy tissues are defined so as to set the radiation dose.
Having received the CT scan data, the TomoTherapy® HD uses the multi-leaf collimator controlled by the computer, for regulation of the radiation beam’s intensity and shape. The collimator’s leaves open and close directing the beam strictly conform to the tumor’s shape. The possibility of the beam 360 degree rotation provides for the maximum irradiation’s precision and protection of healthy tissues.
With radiation concentrated around the whole tumor, processing occurs during each rotation by the tumor’s layers. At the same time, healthy tissues surrounding the tumor remain intact receiving only small radiation doses.
360º delivery – treatment from at angle
The machine’s linear accelerator moves similarly to the CT scanner tube, meaning that treatment can be conducted at any angle.
A fundamentally new efficient method of treating the oncological diseases is based on the combination of a 360-degree spiral with a binary multi-leaf collimator which continuously sounds the required area with directed beams thus ensuring a therapy with the more precise modulation of the radiation’s intensity. The tumor is irradiated from all angles with 360 degree rotation and separation into many layers.
A built-in visualization device determines and controls the tumor tissue’s location, which will be at a later stage exposed to the high-precision irradiation thus minimizing the impact on the healthy tissues and organs.
This method allows for achieving great successes in treatment of cancerous diseases of all kinds even of those which to date could not be easily eliminated with the aid of the existing radioactive radiation or a surgical intervention.
The integrated system’s highest quality. Without any compromise in accuracy, flexibility and efficacy
The combination of the high-performance VoLO™ planning system and the system of planned treatment implementation in TomoTherapy®HD systems greatly facilitates all procedures aimed at quality assurance of these systems.
Both for the doctors and patients.
On the basis of a powerful graphics processing unit and the software, this system can simultaneously handle data and perform calculations of the radiation dose and optimization of the treatment process in just minutes.
Clinically-proven efficacy
TheTomoTherapy®HD is a comprehensive solution which allows to effectively treat any neoplasm anywhere in the patient’s body.
- possibility to simultaneously irradiate several targets including with different radiation exposure for different targets.
- possibility to simultaneously irradiate the elongated targets without having to link the fields during planning and treatment and without repositioning the patient.
- efficient conformable formation of dose distributions for targets of a complex and concave shape.
- wide range of the possible treatment methods – from simple palliative ones to the most complex and modern ones.
Second chance of recovery
If, during previous treatment the maximum tolerance dose of traditional radiation for some areas has been reached, the TomoTherapy can provide a second chance for recovery.
The TomoTherapy®HD system is intended to treat tumors of all kinds including the most complex ones.
In case the tumor of a considerable size is irradiated with the conventional machine, it normally happens in several stages as it can cover only a small area. As a result, in the places where the zone borders overlap, the overdosed areas appear that may result in severe health complications for the patients. When using the TomoTherapy machine, the tumor, no matter how large, is irradiated uniformly and in one go.
The TomoTherapy method combines with all practical methods of the cancer treatment.
