The TomoTherapy Hi-Art System is defining the next generation of radiation treatment. This new technology combines patient imaging and radiation treatment. As a result, we can reduce side effects for some patients, treat some cancers more effectively and contribute to leading-edge research about cancer and its treatment.
TomoTherapy can treat large areas of a patient's body, more effectively treating people with certain types of cancer. It can treat many cancers that have been difficult to treat with traditional radiation therapy, including cancers that affect the breast, prostate, head, neck, spine, lymph nodes, bones and bone marrow.
TomoTherapy makes delivering radiation therapy more precise. It is a single piece of equipment that allows physicians to take images of a patient's body, like a CT scan, and treat the patient during the same session. The patient is not moved from one machine to another, further increasing the ability to precisely deliver radiation. TomoTherapy delivers radiation through thousands of entry points, rather than just a few as in traditional radiation therapy. With TomoTherapy, radiation beams circle around the patient as he moves through the opening of the device. Radiation levels constantly change to give low doses to certain areas of the body and higher doses to others.
Because of the equipment’s precise delivery of radiation, healthy tissue is spared as much as possible, and a patient is at decreased risk for side effects.
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is just one of 20 sites in the world to serve as a Center of Excellence for TomoTherapy and take part in research studies involving the equipment. Louisiana State University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has partnered with Mary Bird Perkins to research TomoTherapy’s treatment capabilities. This joint research venture promises to deliver important biomedical research and improved treatment for patients. The partnership leverages Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s clinical facilities and commitment to patients with LSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy’s expertise in imaging and medical physics.
In-depth patient information for your patients about TomoTherapy can be found in the TomoTherapy patient brochure which answers most frequently asked questions about this technology.