Elekta Synergy Linear Accelerator
Elekta VMAT
Calypso
Prostate Brachytherapy
Augmenix SpaceOar™ U.S. Clinical Study
Elekta Synergy Linear Accelerator:
Peninsula Cancer Center offers a state-of-the art Elekta Synergy linear
accelerator. A linear accelerator (LINAC) is the device most commonly
used for external
beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer.
The linear accelerator can be used in stereotactic radiosurgery, similar
to that achieved using the gamma knife on targets within the brain.
The linear accelerator can also treat areas outside of the brain. It
delivers a uniform dose of high-energy x-ray to the region of the patient's
tumor. These x-rays can destroy the cancer cells while sparing the
surrounding normal tissue.
How does the equipment
work?
The linear accelerator uses microwaves to accelerate electrons. The
waves are generated by a device called a magnetron (you
have a smaller version of one in your microwave oven) or by a microwave
amplifier called a klystron.
The microwaves then travel through a waveguide into an accelerator
tube. When electrons are injected into the accelerator tube from an
electron gun, they can pick up energy from the waves and be accelerated.
The accelerator tube can be manipulated to give different amounts of
energy to the electrons and therefore different final energies for
the beam. Medical accelerators generate electron beams with energies
in the Mega electron volt (MeV) range. A bending magnet then steers
the beam into a metal target to generate X-rays. This gives off X-ray
photons in a process called bremsstrahlung,
literally “braking radiation”, that occurs when a charged particle
undergoes acceleration (or deceleration in this case). As a result
of the collisions, high-energy X-rays are scattered from the target.
The bremsstrahlung process dissipates heat in the target. Therefore,
the target must be made of something that is very heat resistant like
tungsten and is usually water cooled. Once the X-rays are generated,
the beam is collimated and shaped to form a beam that matches the patient's
tumor. The beam comes out of a part of the accelerator called a gantry,
which rotates around the patient. The patient lies on a movable treatment
couch and lasers are used to make sure the patient is in the proper
position. Radiation can be delivered to the tumor from any angle by
rotating the gantry and moving the treatment couch.
This figure shows a block diagram of a typical linear accelerator:
The target can be removed allowing the electron beam to treat the patient directly. Electrons have advantages over photons for some types of treatments like skin cancers. Electrons have a much shorter range and are therefore more desirable for treatments that are very close to the skin.
What's Special about the Elekta Synergy Accelerator?
The Introduction of Elekta Synergy®, the first advanced multi-functional linear accelerator with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT ) and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT ), enables clinicians to both image and treat patients in the same frame of reference, at the time of treatment. The result is unmatched clinical confidence, enabling more aggressive treatment of tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Elekta Synergy directly addresses the two most persistent and significant issues in modern radiation therapy: internal organ motion and errors in patient set-up.
First in Poulsbo, Washington – Elekta VMAT
Peninsula Cancer Center is proud to announce Poulsbo’s first and only
radiation oncology center with Elekta Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy
(VMAT), the world’s most advanced radiation therapy technology. Elekta
VMAT is an exciting new treatment option for cancer patients that
promise to significantly improve our patients’ experience and the
quality of care.
Clean.
Contained. Right on Target.
Elekta VMAT precisely conforms the radiation to your tumor’s shape.
The radiation is delivered only to the intended area, allowing our
expert clinical staff to spare more surrounding healthy tissue and
better avoid nearby critical anatomy. To further ensure accuracy, 3D
imaging at ultra-low doses allows our staff to quickly and safely verify
tumor position prior to treatment. Sophisticated monitoring tools further
enhance precision by monitoring your treatment in real-time to ensure
that the dose is delivered as precisely as your radiation oncologist
prescribes it.
Less Treatment Time, More Quality Time
Elekta VMAT offers patients dramatically shorter treatment times than
the current intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) available
at other cancer centers – as fast as 2 minutes. Faster treatments
improve patient comfort by reducing the time spent on the treatment
table. Since treatment times are so short that the risk of clinically
significant motion is greatly reduced. Spend less time in the
clinic and more time living life.
Flexibility for Single or Multiple Arcs
Elekta VMAT is the only arc therapy solution that delivers treatments
in either a one or several rotations of the linear accelerator. Single
arc treatments are naturally quite fast, but our first goal is to
provide an optimal clinical treatment. In some cases, your oncology
team may believe that multiple arcs can deliver a better clinical
result. The [Center Name]’s Elekta VMAT solution uses patent-protected
technology for safely and efficiently delivering multiple arcs. We
believe the most rapid treatment isn’t always the most clinically
appropriate, and we are committed to offering our patients a wider
rage of treatment options.
What is Calypso?
Calypso Medical is a Seattle-based company that developed the Beacon® transponder
and 4D Localization System to solve one of the most difficult problems
with external beam radiation therapy....moving organs. With this technology,
three tiny radio-frequency transponders are inserted into the prostate and
they transmit the exact position of the prostate many times a second
to an external receiver. So doctors know the exact position of the
prostate before, during and after each treatment....GPS for the
Body®.
How the Calypso® 4D Localization System™ Works
1. Three tiny Beacon® electromagnetic transponders are
implanted into the prostate
In an outpatient procedure, similar to a biopsy, Beacon® transponders are
implanted into the prostate. Each transponder is about as small as a grain of
rice.
Three tiny Beacon® electromagnetic transponders are implanted
into the prostate.
2. The system excites the Beacon® electromagnetic transponders
The Beacon® transponders communicate with the Calypso® 4D Localization System™
using safe radiofrequency waves.
Activate transponders.
Transponders send signals back.
3. The prostate is monitored during treatment
The Calypso System shows exactly where the tumor is all the time during the radiation
treatment so that the doctor can make quick, important decisions about the care.
A display shows the position of the prostate continuously.
When the prostate is out of position, the graphic is color coded
to alert the therapist. This is an actual patient record that
demonstrates a prostate that has drifted out of alignment by
1 cm (yellow indicates out-of-tolerance).
© Calypso Med
Prostate Brachytherapy:
Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure where the doctor
implants tiny permanent radioactive seeds (about the size of a grain
of rice) into the prostate where they irradiate the cancer from inside
the gland. The implanted seeds are small enough that they will not
be felt by the patient. Depending on your circumstances, either radioactive
Iodine (I -125), cesium (Cs-131), or palladium (Pd-103) will be used.
Brachytherapy is also referred to as interstitial radiation therapy
or seed implant therapy. We use a technique called real time
brachytherapy that results in superior implants with minimal complications. The
location of the seeds are adjusted in real time utilizing a very
sensitive ultrasound image during the procedure to account for variations
in anatomy and seed placement. This result in perfect implants
each time.
Augmenix SpaceOar™ U.S. Clinical Study
Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer?
You have options.
Right now, doctors at Peninsula Cancer Center and Peninsula Prostate Institute are studying SpaceOARTM System – an investigational device designed to reduce the amount of radiation your healthy tissue is exposed to during prostate cancer radiation treatment. If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and are considering radiation therapy – consider all of your options. Please call us at (360)697-8000 for a confidential conversation to see if this study may be right for you.
For more information on this study, visit: www.augmenix.com
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01538628?term=spaceoar&rank=1