SUNNYVALE, California,
June 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
10-Year Anniversary of First Total
Marrow Irradiation Delivery with the
TomoTherapy® System Illustrates
Growing Impact of Groundbreaking Approach
This month marks the 10-year anniversary of the first successful
total marrow irradiation (TMI) using the TomoTherapy®
System. This procedure was performed at City of Hope in
Duarte, California. As a result of
continuing research and use of the system for TMI, numerous centers
around the world have adopted the approach, once considered to be
impossible because of limitations inherent to conventional
radiation therapy systems.
TMI is an advanced form of total body irradiation, which has
traditionally been an important part of bone marrow transplants
(BMT). People with certain types of cancers or other diseases
including leukemias, lymphomas and multiple myeloma may undergo a
BMT as part of their treatment. Before the transplant, chemotherapy
and/or radiation may be given to neutralize any cancer in the
marrow.
Traditional approaches to total body irradiation resulted in the
same dose of radiation delivered to the entire body, not just the
bone marrow, causing damage to healthy organs and side effects
ranging from nausea and diarrhea to cataracts and secondary
malignancies. In contrast, the TomoTherapy System delivers small
radiation "beamlets" from 360 degrees around the patient, allowing
for greater control of the prescription dose so it conforms
precisely to the target. This enables physicians to irradiate the
bone marrow with larger doses of radiation while sparing nearby
normal, healthy organs and limiting radiation side effects. Also,
the system's CT scanner-based design allows efficient delivery of
radiation to very large areas without field matching. These
attributes are unique to the TomoTherapy System and facilitate its
use for TMI as an alternative to total body irradiation.
The TomoTherapy System is the only radiation system specifically
designed for image-guided intensity-modulated radiation therapy
(IMRT). More than 950 scientific articles have been published on
TomoTherapy technology, with many addressing the clinical value and
patient benefit of this treatment modality across a broad range of
indications. The system offers clinicians the flexibility to
deliver treatment in a helical mode or from clinician-specified
beam angles with TomoDirect™ Mode. These unique features, combined
with daily 3D image guidance, enable physicians to:
- Deliver highly accurate, individualized dose distributions to
any tumor, at its true location, during each treatment; and
- Treat all standard radiation therapy indications including
breast, prostate, lung and head and neck cancers, in addition to
complex treatments such as total marrow irradiation.
For more information visit
http://www.accuray.com/solutions/treatment-delivery/tomotherapy-treatment-delivery/h-series.
Quotes
Joshua H. Levine, president
and chief executive officer of Accuray: "The
TomoTherapy® System is a radiotherapy technology that
allows entirely new approaches, while also bringing the highest
quality care to the widest range of patients. In honor of National
Cancer Survivor's Day, June 7, 2015,
we want to recognize the clinicians worldwide who are using
technologies such as the TomoTherapy System to improve the way
cancer is managed and bring new hope to people who previously would
have been without options."
Dr. Stefano Vagge, MD,
Ph.D: "The A.O.U. IRCCS San Martino IST National Cancer
Research Institute of Genoa is
dedicated to using innovative technologies to help cancer patients.
Six years ago we tried to set a new standard of care in
Europe when we began using the
TomoTherapy System for TMI, an innovative approach that has become
a critical part of our practice. We have treated more than fifty
patients in the setting of autologous and allogenic stem cell
transplantation for high-risk leukemia, lymphoma and multiple
myeloma. In our clinical experience, the TomoTherapy System allows
us to work collaboratively with the Genoa Hematopoietic Stem Cell
Transplantation Department, a vanguard in Europe, to significantly reduce radiation
toxicity and implement new treatment approaches in hematology."
About the TomoTherapy System
The Accuray TomoTherapy System enables physicians to efficiently
customize treatment plans for the entire range of radiation therapy
patients and disease types. Its innovative design enables treatment
plans to be delivered with integrated, daily CT image guidance,
enhancing accuracy and delivering highly precise,
intensity-modulated radiation for optimal sparing of healthy tissue
and critical structures.
About Accuray
Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY) is a radiation oncology
company that develops, manufactures and sells precise, innovative
tumor treatment solutions that set the standard of care with the
aim of helping patients live longer, better lives. The company's
leading-edge technologies deliver the full range of radiation
therapy and radiosurgery treatments. For more information, please
visit http://www.accuray.com.
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