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June 20, 2005
CLEVELAND: A new state-of-the-art radiation treatment system launched today at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals of Cleveland, offers cancer patients more accurate and precise radiation treatment. TomoTherapy is an image-guided, intensity modulated radiotherapy system that, for the first time, combines the precision of a CT (computerized tomography) scan with the potency of high-energy radiation treatment to selectively destroy cancerous tumors while avoiding surrounding, healthy tissue.
"The precision of this technology is unprecedented in radiation oncology and gives us a powerful new tool against cancer," says Timothy Kinsella, MD, Director of Radiation Oncology at University Hospitals of Cleveland and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "TomoTherapy enables us to plan, verify and deliver treatment within one system while improving the accuracy of radiation doses."
The Ireland Cancer Center is the first institution in the tri-state region (Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania) to offer TomoTherapy. Unlike traditional radiation therapies, the TomoTherapy system is the first device to provide 3-D imaging via CT(Computerized Tomography) scanning immediately prior to each treatment to verify the location of tumors. Radiation is delivered via a 360-degree rotating beam to target the exact size and shape of the tumor. The system was under development in Madison, Wisconsin, during Dr. Kinsella's leadership while chairman of the department of human oncology at the University of Wisconsin.
Throughout the course of treatment, the TomoTherapy system monitors the patient's tumor and adjacent normal tissues in real time. Because tumor size and shape can change from day to day, the radiation dose distribution can be altered to adapt to the tumor response.
Patients who have previously undergone radiation can be treated with TomoTherapy because of its high degree of precision. In the past, when a tumor returned after radiation therapy, it often was not possible to re-treat the same area with conventional treatment because the normal tissues may have reached their maximum or tolerance dose. Any further radiation could permanently damage healthy cells.
"TomoTherapy enables such finely tuned dose delivery that even previously irradiated areas can be treated, giving new hope to patients with recurrent disease," says Dr. Kinsella. "The machine also enables extra-cranial stereotactic radiosurgery treatment for patients who previously could not receive radiation due to having tumors in difficult-to-treat areas such as the lung, base of brain, and spine."
University Hospitals Health System's 947-bed, tertiary medical center, University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC), is the primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Together, they form the largest center for biomedical research in the State of Ohio. The System provides the major clinical base for translational researchers at the Case Research Institute, a partnership between UHC and CWRU School of Medicine, as well as a broad and well-characterized patient population for clinical trials involving the most advanced treatments. Included in UHC are Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, among the nation's best children's hospitals; Ireland Cancer Center, designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center (the nation's highest designation); and MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women.
Committed to advanced care and advanced caring, University Hospitals Health System offers the region's largest network of primary care physicians, along with outpatient centers and hospitals. The System also includes a network of specialty care physicians, skilled nursing, elder health, rehabilitation and home care services, managed care and insurance programs. For more information, go to www.uhhs.com <http://www.uhhs.com/>.
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