Two female brain tumor patients have become the first people in the south of England to be treated using a faster form of radiotherapy that extends more advanced care to more patients. RapidArc technology from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) makes it possible to deliver image-guided IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) two to eight times faster than is possible with conventional IMRT.
Clinicians at University College Hospital (UCH) carried out the pioneering treatments in October, making it only the second hospital in the country to introduce the technique routinely. Both patients were treated using a single arc - or rotation- of the machine around the patient and the treatments were delivered in under two minutes, compared with 10-15 minutes for conventional IMRT.
"RapidArc performed very satisfactorily in its first treatments, addressing what would have otherwise been difficult brain tumor volumes," says Susan Short M.D., consultant clinical oncologist in charge of the brain unit at UCH. "It delivered lower overall dose to tissue outside the target area compared with IMRT, which was particularly important in the first case because the patient had received previous radiotherapy." Minimizing dose to healthy tissue reduces the possibility of complications.
"The radiotherapy department is very impressed and it is quite a straightforward treatment from the patient's point of view," she added, explaining that benign brain tumors can cause cranial nerve problems and visual problems if untreated. "We won't know yet whether it has been successful in shrinking the tumors as it can take some time to determine that, but certainly the shorter treatment time is more convenient and allows for a more comfortable treatment for our patients."
Anna Cassoni, lead clinical oncologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), said, "RapidArc produced a lower dose to the optic nerve than conventional IMRT treatment and its precision minimized exposure to surrounding critical tissues."