MD Anderson installs first TomoHD System in Florida

Cancer patients in the Southeast now have access to the world's most advanced radiation treatment system. MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando has installed the first TomoHD™ System in Florida.

Unlike traditional radiation therapy devices, the TomoHD System combines fully integrated CT imaging and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on a CT scanner platform. Each daily treatment includes a 3D image of the patient's anatomy to ensure highly accurate radiation delivery. This provides clinicians unprecedented confidence that tumors will receive their intended dosage from one day to the next.

A major difference with the TomoHD System is the way that radiation is delivered to the treatment area. The radiation beam is divided into thousands of tiny "beamlets" all aiming at the tumor during multiple 360 degree rotations around the patient. The treatment dose conforms to the tumor and avoids critical organs, which can mean improved outcomes, fewer side effects and a higher quality of life for the patient.

MD Anderson - Orlando has a history of being on the cutting edge of TomoTherapy radiation treatment. In 2003, the hospital became the second site in the world to receive the first generation TomoTherapy System (the Hi-Art® System) which helped the center advance the field of radiation therapy delivery worldwide. Since 2003, more than three million treatments have been delivered to nearly 200,000 patients around the world.

"We have continually been a leader in delivering the most accurate and individualized TomoTherapy treatments and we are thrilled to have this state-of-the-art technology available to our patients," said Mark Roh, MD, President, MD Anderson Orlando. "Our new TomoHD System will not only provide the highest quality of radiation treatment to our patients battling complex cancers it will also be a tool for our oncologists to educate clinicians on best practice TomoTherapy treatment techniques for patients worldwide."

"We congratulate MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando on the installation of their TomoHD System," said Omar Dawood, M.D., M.P.H., senior vice president of global medical affairs for Accuray. "The TomoHD System will provide them with the ability to target tumors with extreme accuracy and allow them to create highly individualized treatments for each patient. Their choice to offer this leading-edge technology to their patients affirms the importance of the TomoHD System in supporting their place as a leader in the radiation oncology community with a continued commitment to patient care."

How the TomoHD™ Treatment System works:
1. Before each treatment, the patient, lying on the couch, moves through the TomoHD™ machine for a CT scan, called a CTrue image. Images taken verify the shape, size and location of the tumor.
2. The CTrue image is compared to the original planning CT image (which may have been taken days before). If necessary, adjustments to the plan and patient set-up are made immediately.
3. The patient then moves through the TomoHD Treatment System again where radiation is delivered in tens of thousands of beamlets in a helical pattern (360°) around the tumor.
4. Depending on the complexity of the case, each complete treatment procedure takes 10 to 30 minutes.