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Feature WRITTEN by bRANDI SCHLoSSbERG
tomotherapy ® offers most
advanced treatment available
amazing patient benefits to new technology
A
CCoRdIng to eXpeRts, It’s the fIRst maJoR
advanCement In RadIatIon theRapy In
Roughly 50 yeaRs. It’s known as the tomotherapy ®
hi-art ® system, and it offers dramatic patient benefits.
Renown Institute for Cancer recently became the first and only
hospital in northern nevada to offer this leading-edge technology.
“Renown has joined the rare ranks of two percent of cancer
facilities worldwide that have tomotherapy ® ,” said eric Rost, md,
medical director of Radiation oncology at Renown Institute for
Cancer. “there are currently only about 200 of these units out there.”
prior to joining Renown in July 2008, and following a long
career in cancer care, dr. Rost served as a consultant, setting up 10
tomotherapy ® programs around the globe. he presided over the
fourth tomotherapy ® in the world, and helped develop many of
the standards and procedures for tomotherapy ® treatments.
“tomotherapy ® is not only easier on the patient, but it also
delivers better care. It’s much more cost-effective,” dr. Rost said.
Renown joURneY
tomotherapy ® offers unparalleled accuracy and precision in cancer
treatments. this breakthrough cancer technology treats the most
complex cancers in less time with fewer side effects.
“It’s a complete, integrated system that allows us to deliver imageguided
radiation with repetitive precision and accuracy.”
with a built-in Ct scanner, the tomotherapy ® hi-art ® system
allows physicians to view the patient in three dimensions, which
allows them to focus the radiation beam with extreme precision.
“each and every time we turn on the beam, we can see the
tumor and all the soft tissues, and we can see exactly what we’re
doing,” dr. Rost said. “the speed and accuracy of tomotherapy ®
help us spare healthy tissue. this means that patients have fewer
side effects and heal faster.”
typically, radiation is based on recent Ct scans, but the
tomotherapy ® hi-art ® system provides an image of the patient
during treatment. with surgical precision, doctors can deliver
radiation directly to the tumor without unnecessary exposure to
normal cells.
“due to the limitations of standard radiation, you can expose
more normal tissue to more radiation. this damages the
surrounding health tissue and limits the success of treatment,” dr.
Rost said. “with tomotherapy ® , we don’t have to worry about that
as much — the treatment is very easy to take.”
for patients, tomotherapy ® allows quicker recovery, along with
less pain and discomfort.
too often patients are told they cannot receive any more
radiation. with tomotherapy ® , repeat treatment can be given to
patients without the fear of overexposing surrounding healthy
tissue. “tomotherapy ® offers hope to patients who have previously
been told they have no other options,” dr. Rost said.
the benefits of the tomotherapy ® hi-art ® system also extend
to surgery and chemotherapy, two treatments that often go handin-hand
with radiation for cancer care.
“when you treat a patient with radiation and chemotherapy, the
chemotherapy can make you very sick” dr. Rost said. “Because
tomotherapy ® allows us to eliminate the harmful side effects
of radiation therapy, the patient is able to tolerate the effects of
chemotherapy and radiation together much better.”
“TomoTherapy ® is not only easier
on the patient, but it also delivers
better care.”
Eric Rost, MD, Medical Director of Radiation
Oncology at Renown Institute for Cancer
tomotherapy ® also offers benefits for surgery as well. standard
radiation often results in swelling, scarring and damage to normal
tissue, and performing surgery in such an inflamed setting can
lead to complications.
treating colorectal and esophogeal cancer
these advantages of tomotherapy ® are especially apparent
when dealing with colorectal and esophageal cancer.
“with colorectal cancer, because of the way our bodies are
built, there can be a lot of problems with swelling and healing.
tomotherapy ® eases the impact of cancer treatment in this sensitive
area, thereby increasing the odds of recovery,” dr. Rost said.
“with esophageal cancer, there is a high rate of the cancer
spreading inside and around the esophagus, as this is the only
organ tube in our body that does not have a membrane around
it,” dr. Rost said. “with tomotherapy ® ’s precision, we can get
radiation to sterilize all the surrounding areas, and we can do it
without effecting the heart, lungs and spinal cord by radiation.”
on top of limiting pain and tissue damage, a session on the
tomotherapy ® hi-art ® system goes fairly fast. tomotherapy ®
takes about 10 minutes per day, much shorter compared to
treatments on other technologies that range from 30 minutes
to two hours. additionally, tomotherapy ® offers patients a less
invasive treatment option. other technologies sometimes require a
surgical procedure to implant special markers or applicators before
the patient can begin radiation treatments.
tomotherapy ® can deliver radiation to a wide range of cancers,
including those of the head, neck, brain, spinal cord, ovaries, cervix,
endometrium, bone marrow, breast, prostate, lung, liver, colon, anus,
pancreas, lymph nodes, throat, stomach and digestive system. “any
and every patient with cancer can benefit from tomotherapy ® .”
In addition, tomotherapy ® is the only successful radiation
treatment available for mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer of
the lining of the lung or the lining of the abdominal cavity. ■
For more information on the TomoTherapy ® Hi-Art ® System, visit
the Web site at www.renown.org/tomotherapy.
breakthrough cancer care
TomoTherapy is the most advanced radiation treatment
available to cancer patients. Here’s just a sample of how it
compares to other radiation treatment technologies such
as CyberKnife, Varian Rapid Arc, Novalis, Gamma Knife and
Elekta VMAT:
■ tomotherapy allows a doctor to view the tumor or
tumors in 3D. Most other technologies offer physicians
only a 2D view. This means that patients can receive
more accurate treatment with TomoTherapy.
■ tomotherapy is a less invasive treatment. Some other
technologies, including CyberKnife, require a surgical
implantation of metal markers into patients so that the
machine can detect the target area. TomoTherapy ® does
not require this invasive procedure.
■ shorter treatment times for similar tumors with
tomotherapy. Treatment time for TomoTherapy is 10
minutes, including patient set up, image registration and
correction.
■ multiple tumors can be treated at one time with
tomotherapy. other technologies require different
treatments for each tumor. TomoTherapy treats the
widest range of tumors and cancers.
■ tomotherapy delivers radiation in the most consistent
doses which translates into fewer treatments and
fewer side effects for patients.
■ tomotherapy can treat tumors of all sizes. other
technologies have certain treatment ranges; outside of
these ranges they lose their effectiveness increasing side
effects and recovery times.
eric c. rost, mD
Eric C. Rost, MD, is the Medical Director of Radiation oncology
at Renown Institute for Cancer. He earned his medical degree
from Northeastern ohio University College of Medicine. He
trained in Internal Medicine at George Washington University/
Providence Hospital. He also trained in Nuclear Medicine
and radiology at the Johns Hopkins University in baltimore.
His training in Radiation Sciences continued with Radiation
oncology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New york
and the University of Miami.
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