Technology
ACCUBOOST™
Women with early stage breast cancer increasingly choose breast conservation
therapy (BCT). In the BCT option, the cancerous tumor is surgically removed
in a procedure known as lumpectomy. Following a lumpectomy, most women
undergo whole breast irradiation (WBI), which includes a very important
“boost” phase. The boost dose is an important component of
the full course of radiation therapy and is delivered to the tissue adjacent
to the surgical excision site, a region from which most recurrences originate.
The added boost dose to the surgical margin has been shown to provide
additional protection against recurrence.
AccuBoost is designed to target and deliver the all-important boost dose
accurately and reliably. The AccuBoost system is an image-guided radiation
therapy (IGRT) technique that uses noninvasive high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy
to deliver a focused dose to the lumpectomy site. By virtue of directly
and precisely targeting the treatment area, patients who have used the
AccuBoost system have less reddening of the skin.
Brachytherapy
Your radiation oncologist may decide that your cancer should be treated
with brachytherapy. Radioactive seeds or sources are placed in or near
the tumor itself, giving a high radiation dose to the tumor while reducing
the radiation exposure in the surrounding healthy tissues. The term “brachy”
is Greek for short distance. Brachytherapy is radiation therapy given
at a short distance: localized, precise and high-tech.
Breast Brachytherapy
Breast brachytherapy is an advanced radiation therapy used in breast cancer
treatment that targets the tumor bed and limits radiation exposure to
healthy tissue. This form of breast cancer treatment is typically performed
in 5-8 days versus the usually 6 weeks of external beam treatment. Your
surgeon will insert either a Mammosite® or Savi® balloon in to
the lumpectomy cavity through a small incision in your breast.
CyberKnife
Unlike other forms of radiosurgery, this latest generation of the CyberKnife
offers an unprecedented ability to precisely target tumors while sparing
damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
What makes this version of the CyberKnife so unique – and so effective
– is its ability to continuously track and attack the tumor as it
shifts during therapy due to patient movement or respiration.
Drug Therapies
Zevulin, Bexxar and Quadramet are the drug therapies offered at the Eugene
M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute.
DVS: Dose Verification System
DVS radiation dosimeters are placed near the tumor or tumor bed and/or
surrounding normal tissue. Each day, DVS measures the radiation a patient
receives; the physician can then confirm that the radiation dose is within
the prescribed range. Placement of the DVS will be performed by the radiation
oncologist.
IGRT: Image Guided Radiation Therapy
In IGRT, repeated imaging scans are performed during treatment. These imaging
scans are processed by computers to identify changes in a tumor’s
size and location due to treatment and to allow the position of the patient
to be adjusted during treatment as needed. Imaging increases the accuracy
of radiation treatment delivery. Fiducial markers may be placed internally
for alignment, if that is the physician’s recommendation.
IMRT: Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
IMRT uses hundreds of tiny radiation beam-shaping devices, called collimators,
to deliver a single dose of radiation. The collimators can be stationary
or can move during treatment, allowing the intensity of the radiation
beams to change during treatment sessions. This kind of dose modulation
allows different areas of a tumor or nearby tissues to receive different
doses of radiation.
The goal of IMRT is to increase the radiation dose to the areas that need
it and reduce radiation exposure to specific sensitive areas of surrounding
normal tissue. IMRT can reduce the risk of some side effects, such as
damage to the salivary glands, which can cause dry mouth, when the head
and neck are treated with radiation therapy.
Novalis TX™ With Rapid Arc Linear Accelerator®
Novalis Tx™ is a powerful radiosurgery system that offers a versatile
combination of advanced technologies for the treatment of tumors and other
anatomical targets. With the Novalis Tx™ radiosurgery platform,
facilities can offer state-of-the-art, non-invasive treatment for a wide
range of malignancies and other potentially debilitating conditions, without
harming nearby healthy tissue and without involving traditional surgery.
Rapid ARC®
Any health issue can be cause for concern, and cancer is no exception.
RapidArc® radiotherapy technology, a revolutionary breakthrough in
cancer treatment that delivers powerful tumor-destroying radiation with
remarkable precision, is now available from Varian Medical Systems.
Varian RapidArc® radiotherapy technology is an effective cancer treatment
representing an advanced new form of image-guided IMRT. This technology
enables clinicians to program a linear accelerator to deliver precise
forms of IMRT up to eight times faster than other IMRT systems. It does
this by delivering the complete IMRT treatment to you in fewer rotations
than traditional IMRT. As a result, your tumor will receive the full radiation
dose within less than two minutes compared with 10 minutes or longer for
conventional IMRT.
Treatment speed is important because it reduces the time patients must
lie still and avoid movement. As treatment time is reduced, Varian RapidArc®
has the potential to improve both your quality of care and comfort.
Respiratory Gating
The respiratory gating system, used in the linear accelerator room, allows
clinicians to correlate tumor position in relation to the patient's
respiratory cycle. Thresholds determine when the gating system turns the
treatment beam on and off, minimizing the radiation dose to critical structures.
SBRT: Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
SBRT delivers radiation therapy in fewer sessions, using smaller radiation
fields and higher doses. SBRT treats tumors that lie outside the brain
and spinal cord. SBRT is delivered in one to five fractions. SBRT is used
to treat small, isolated tumors. Our state-of-the-art Varian Novalis TxTM
delivers SBRT & SRS treatments, comparable to such brands as the CyberKnife®.
SRS: Stereotactic Radiosurgery
SRS can deliver one or more high doses of radiation to a small tumor. SRS
uses extremely accurate image-guided tumor targeting and patient positioning.
Therefore, a high dose of radiation is given without excess damage to
normal tissue.
SRS is used to treat only small tumors with well-defined edges. It is most
commonly used in the treatment of brain or spinal tumors and brain metastases
from other cancer types. SRS requires the use of a immobilization device
to ensure that the high dose of radiation is delivered accurately.
TheraSphere®
TheraSphere® is used to treat liver cancer.
Need more information on Radiation Oncology?
For Sandler Pavilion (Boca Raton) call
561.955.4111. For Delray location call
561.955.7200.