Westlake Health Center installs outpatient radiation technology

Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals Westlake Health Center has upgraded its radiation treatment facility to provide state-of-the-art outpatient radiation therapy.

The newly installed Varian iX system offers advanced image guidance and treatment accuracy which enables enhanced targeting of the cancer while simultaneously maximally shielding adjacent normal tissue from potentially harmful effects of the X-ray beams.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is a specialized form of treatment in which the radiation dose is delivered using small “beamlets” which are rapidly turned on and off and delivered from various angles around the body. This technique effectively “sculpts” the high-dose radiation area into irregular shapes to match an individual patient’s anatomy which can lessen potential side-effect of treatment and also allow for a higher dose of radiation which can increase the chance for cure.

The Varian iX provides the most precise treatment delivery available because it uses both X-ray and cone-beam CAT scan technology to image the tumor area daily immediately prior to each treatment to enable the physician and treatment team to optimally and quickly align the patient so that the tumor is in the “crosshairs” of the machine with certainty. Image guidance also allows for tracking the response to treatment (i.e. tumor shrinkage) in selected cases.

In addition, Varian’s “RapidArc” innovation provides faster treatment using a technique called volumetric modulated arc therapy. This reduces treatment time to as little as three minutes each day from the traditional 15-20 minutes. The faster delivery ensures that patient movement and internal tumor movement will be at a minimum which increases the accuracy of treatment and also greatly improves patient comfort and convenience.

The Seidman Cancer Center at UH Westlake Health Center treats adults with most types of cancer and lymphoma.

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Volume 5, Issue 11, Posted 10:11 AM, 05.29.2013