The University Hospitals (UH) Seidman Cancer Center at Southwest General offers an exceptional level of comprehensive cancer care for patients, including clinical trials and advanced treatments.

Beginning in April 2010, Southwest General will offer The TomoTherapy® Hi-Art® treatment system. Used to treat a wide variety of cancers, this state-of-the-art technology provides patients with the most precise radiation therapy available.

What is the Treatment Process?

Planning
Before TomoTherapy begins, the doctor will use 3D images from various scanning technologies (such as CT and MRI) and special software to determine the precise contours of the tumor and any adjacent organs or structures that may be at risk during treatment. The doctor will then determine the amount of radiation the tumor should receive, as well as the acceptable level of radiation for surrounding structures. The TomoTherapy system then helps calculate the appropriate pattern, position and intensity of the radiation beam to be delivered, to match the doctor’s prescription as closely as possible.

Patient positioning
Because it is both a CT scanner and a treatment delivery machine, the TomoTherapy system allows doctors to take a CT scan every day just prior to treatment. Because tumor sizes can change from day to day, physicians use the daily scan to confirm the size, shape and location of the tumor and to adjust the patient’s position to be sure radiation is directed exactly where it should be. Known as Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), this process offers greater accuracy than conventional radiation therapy in which treatment is based on static images taken at the start of therapy.

The Treatment Session
During treatment, the patient lies on a “couch” that moves slowly through the TomoTherapy machine’s CT scanner ring. The ring also houses a linear accelerator, which delivers radiation. Because the couch is moving at the same time that the ring is turning, continuous 360º radiation is delivered from all angles in a helical (spiral) pattern.

Additionally, a special device divides the radiation beam into tens of thousands of smaller beamlets, each targeting the tumor. In a process known as Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), physicians can adjust the size, shape and intensity of each beamlet to conform to the size, shape and location of the patient’s tumor. This allows the highest possible dose of radiation to be delivered directly to a tumor, reducing damage to healthy surrounding tissue.

Survivor Stories Patients with a wide variety of cancers have benefited from being treated with TomoTherapy, which offers highly precise radiation therapy that minimizes damage to healthy surrounding tissue. Read the inspiring stories of several patients. Read their stories

How long will the Procedure Take?

TomoTherapy treatments can take about 20-30 minutes, including the entire process of daily CT scanning, patient set-up and positioning and treatment. Times will vary by patient.

What are the Benefits of TomoTherapy?

TomoTherapy can be used to treat tumors of varying size and shape, to treat single or multiple tumors, to target one area of the body or several areas at the same time, and to deliver a consistent dose of radiation or several different doses.
 
Additionally, the highly precise nature of TomoTherapy allows physicians to treat some patients who are untreatable with conventional radiation therapy because of the high risk of side effects—such as those whose tumors are close to highly sensitive organs or structures—or those who previously received radiation therapy and reached their maximum dosage.

TomoTherapy offers many patient benefits, including:

• More effective treatment
• Fewer side effects
• Faster recovery times
• Shorter treatment times
• Less pain and discomfort