New Radiation Therapy System Offers More Accurate Treatment of "Moving Targets"

John Muir Health now provides more accurate delivery of treatment to tumors that move during breathing. The Exac Trac® Gating system, a new feature of the Novalis Shaped Beam Stereotactic Radiosurgery system, adds an adaptive gating capability that is critical for treatment of patients with lung and liver disease.

By matching advanced X-ray imaging of the internal target with the external infrared tracking markers, tumor movement can be continuously monitored in a three dimensional (3-D) manner. As a result, a beam of radiation is turned on only when the tumor is on target. Gating allows this beam to be synchronized with the patient's breathing frequency, enabling physicians to interrupt the treatment beam in milliseconds and only continue to deliver precise treatment when the tumor is located exactly in the path of the beam. Studies have shown that up to 50 percent of normal tissue can be spared from radiation using adaptive gating, which translates into reduced side effects and better treatment outcomes.

The Brainlab Novalis Shaped Beam Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy System at John Muir Health provides a highly accurate and precise method of targeting tumors and brain malformations with radiation using stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy. This treatment is highly effective in sparing normal or unaffected brain tissue. The Novalis can also treat areas outside of the brain with the same high precision. It is ideal for small tumors in the spine and prostate, for example. The addition of adaptive gating now makes it possible to treat tumors that move while a patient breathes with a high degree of accuracy.

For more information on John Muir Health's advanced treatments with shaped beam stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy, and adaptive gating, call (925) 947- 3250.

(Posted September 25, 2007)