Kansas City Cancer Center uses radiation therapy for cancer treatments

Kansas City Cancer Center (KCCC), an affiliate of US Oncology, Inc. which supports the nation's foremost cancer treatment and research network, has treated its first patient with the new TomoTherapy(R) radiation therapy technology at its new KCCC-Shawnee Mission office.

KCCC is the only healthcare provider in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area with a TomoTherapy treatment machine - a welcomed new treatment that combines CT imaging with conformal radiation therapy. Used to treat a wide variety of cancers, KCCC's use of the TomoTherapy Hi Art((R)) treatment system is delivering radiation with pinpoint accuracy. According to Radiation Oncologist James Coster, M.D., this form of external beam radiation will protect patients from the harm that results from killing more than just the cancer.

"It's so precise that radiation can be localized to the cancer itself while nearly eliminating the dose to the surrounding healthy tissues," says Coster. "It completely changes the way we fight cancers of the head, neck, breast and prostate, and the impact we can make on overall patient health."

Protecting the health of surrounding tissue and organs has long been the goal of oncologists. But until now, technological limitations have prevented oncologists from delivering highly precise treatment specifically tailored to the patient's cancer, including the capacity to adapt the radiation to the cancer as it responds to treatment. With the Hi Art system, the equipment makes a 360-degree sweep of the patient, delivering intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) directly at the tumor. TomoTherapy treatment is performed with a patient lying on a special couch that moves through the center of the TomoTherapy unit as the radiation beam circles them. The result is a helical radiation treatment that delivers an optimized set of radiation beams to the tumor. Literally, the TomoTherapy process runs rings around cancer.

Before beginning a TomoTherapy treatment, KCCC uses 3D images from a combination of scanning technologies and special software to establish the precise contours for each tumor, and any regions at risk, such as sensitive organs or structures. The physician determines the radiation dose that will be given to the tumor, as well as acceptable levels for surrounding structures.

Each day before treatment, the Hi Art system allows doctors to take a CT scan to verify the position of the tumor. If necessary, the patient's position is adjusted to make sure radiation is directed at the tumor. This is critical, as the tumor can move as the patient moves.

Until now, the availability of TomoTherapy has been limited in this region, says Coster. KCCC is proud to add this new technology and its benefits to patients to its comprehensive suite of cancer treatment services.