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Enhancing Cancer Treatment With New Equipment
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The John Muir Cancer Institute-Concord has installed a state-of-the-art computer with three-dimensional treatment-planning capabilities in the Radiation Therapy Department. The computer adds a new "dimension" to the department's cancer-fighting capabilities, says radiologist Valery Uhl, M.D.
The system maps the treatment field in three dimensions, enhancing visualization and allowing for virtual simulation. In this procedure, the patient's anatomy from a CT scan is put on screen, and virtual treatment beams are applied to the desired body regions, sparing the patient a long planning procedure. When the physicians, physicist and dosimetrist agree upon a treatment plan based on the virtual model, the patient is brought in for actual simulation to verify the plan.
Since the computer reconstructs anatomy in three dimensions, planners can rotate the virtual patient 360 degrees to ensure the beams cover the tumor while sparing the maximum unaffected tissue.
Computerized Medical Systems Inc., the equipment manufacturer, is a respected industry leader. It has identified John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus as a show site for national and international customers wishing to enhance their cancer programs with this new technology.