|
TomoTherapy is a revolutionary way to treat cancer with radiation
that will soon be available Monmouth Medical Center’s Institute
for Advanced Radiation Oncology.
The advanced and integrated cancer treatment system benefits patients
by locating tumors before treatment, delivering precise treatment
to the tumors using rotating beamlets and minimizing damage to
healthy tissue.
TomoTherapy is the first system to integrate and automate radiation
therapy from the location of the tumor to the delivery of the beams
themselves. As a result, this breakthrough system is giving new
options to patients with cancers
of the prostate, head and neck and
other organs near vital areas of the body.
To locate the tumor, TomoTherapy uses 3-D imaging from computerized
tomography (CT scanning), which gives physicians the ability to
confirm its shape and position before therapy begin.
Image-guided patient positioning and treatment delivery are all
accomplished using one piece of equipment that looks much like
a standard CT system. Lying on a treatment table, the patient passes
through a rotating ring, where the radiation beam makes a spiral
pattern around him or her. The tumor receives optimal levels of
radiation while doses to healthy tissue are minimized.
Because the Tomotherapy machine rotates completely around the patient,
the cancer can be treated from any angle, delivering radiation
beams that are precisely shaped to the tumor. As a result, higher
doses of radiation can be delivered to the tumor, limiting exposure
to surrounding normal tissue and increasing the potential for decreased
side effects and better cure rates.
The complete procedure takes only 15 to 20 minutes.
Additional information on TomoTherapy, is available from the TomoTherapy
Inc., National Cancer Institute, National
Comprehensive Cancer Network and American
Cancer Society.
[ top ] |
|
|
Radiation Oncology
Monmouth Medical Center
|
|
| |
|
Treatment Technology
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
