Doctors at the Space Coast Cancer Center in Titusville, Florida are using RapidArc radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical System to deliver image-guided radiotherapy that precisely conforms to a targeted area two to eight times faster than was previously possible.
In the case of Peter Campbell, 65, the daily treatments are taking two minutes to complete rather than the 20 minutes that would have been required using the previous generation of technology. Campbell was struggling to find the words to communicate. When his wife asked what his name was and where he lived, he couldn't think of the answers. Following a CT scan of his brain, he learned that an aggressive type of brain tumour was hindering his speech and language functions. The tumour was removed surgically, and as is standard for treating this type of brain tumour, Campbell began a seven-week course of Radiotherapy that is targeting the area where the lesion was removed, in order to kill any cancer cells that might have been left behind. 'Before my brain tumour was discovered, I could tell that my communication skills were going down fast,' said Campbell, a former educator who has held several public and private administrative positions. 'I'm usually very good at crossword puzzles, but suddenly I couldn't think of a single word to answer the clues. At a party, I had to smile and nod my head because I couldn't understand what my friends were telling me. This was scary. Thankfully, my speech abilities returned to normal after surgery, and since then, the RapidArc treatments have been as simple as could be.' Campbell's Radiotherapy began in May 2009 and will continue through July. Each weekday, after he's positioned on a treatment table, a machine equipped with RapidArc delivers his daily treatment in about two minutes. 'I don't feel any discomfort during a session, and after I'm through, I'm able to sit right up and walk out of the centre,' said Campbell. 'RapidArc was the best choice for Peter because it is much more precise than alternative treatment methods,' said Cindy Bryant, MD, a radiation oncologist at Space Coast. 'The RapidArc plan conformed very closely to the part of his brain where his tumour had been, allowing us to avoid the optic nerves and other important sensitive tissues. But if there's even a little movement during a treatment, our ability to be this accurate can be affected. That's why RapidArc is so valuable to us--the treatments are over before a patient has had much time to move.' Dr Bryant added: 'This is an especially aggressive kind of brain tumour, so we'll of course be watching very closely how Peter's doing. RapidArc Radiotherapy is an important component of his overall treatment.' |
