Plan studies comparing fixed-beam and helical IMRT with RapidArc show that RapidArc can reduce the amount of non-therapeutic radiation reaching healthy tissues during treatment. For example, in the case of head and neck cancer treatments, RapidArc plans are better at protecting critical structures such as the spinal cord, brain stem, eyes, optic nerve and chiasm, parotid (salivary) glands, and brain. Moreover, with Rapid Arc’s highly efficient use of the primary beam, secondary stray radiation caused by scatter and leakage are reduced by over 50% on average compared with fixed field IMRT.
Other tests showed that even complex RapidArc treatment plans can be delivered in less than two minutes, with fewer than 750 MUs. In comparison, Varian’s best IMRT treatments, delivered one field at a time, require approximately one minute per field to deliver, while the average multislice helical IMRT treatment requires 10 to 15 minutes.
Studies by Cedric Yu, DSc, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland Medical Center into single-arc IMRT has shown it to be equal to or better than multiple-field IMRT in terms of target volume coverage and normal tissue sparing. He found that a single arc can deliver essentially similar dose distributions compared with IMRT plans that incorporate as many as 36 fields.
THIS NEW INNOVATIVE TREATMENT IS ONLY ONE OF THE MANY OFFERINGS TO BE AVAILABLE AT THE NEW NORTH SHORE RADIATION THERAPY ON LONG ISLAND IN NEW YORK, OPENING MARCH 2008.
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10 comments:
RapidArc is what seems to be the newest technology. I think this when compared to Tomotherapy and Cyberknife (which gives large doses in less treatments - which I hear causes rectal problems) is the way to go. I think I will wait for it to come to my area before proceeding with Prostate Radiation Therapy.
Do you know anything about long term hormone use? I have been kept on hormones for many months. It is called zoladex.
Long term hormones are indicated for men with high risk prostate cancer or for men with metastatic disease. There are many adverse effects to long term hormones (ie zoladex, lupron) such as osteoporosis, heart disease, impotence, muscle atrophy, etc. For these reasons, men should only remain on hormones if the benefit outweighs the risk.
I am not sure becuase my urologyst says the hormones were good for me and that way his radiation would work better than anybody else's
Men with a Gleason 6 Prostate Cancer, the use of hormone therapy has not been proven. The side effects certainly outweigh the risks.
A few of my friends were put on hormones for what seems like almost a year before they were told they were ready to have their radiation treatments and now it seemed like they really mess them up, chemically speaking. I had my treatments a few months ago without hormones and so far so good for me. I would think twice about hormones if you have early stage cancer.
I wonder if your friends went to the same doctor I did. He owns this radiation center in Nassau and he treated me. I had an appointment at 10pm and was treated like cattle.
I was treated by a radiation doctor in Plainview and found out that the urologists own it too and that's why they send their patients there. He told me he had special machines that no one else had so I went there. Then I found out that there was another office close to my house with the exact same machines. I barely saw my doctor during treatment.
Wow. I heard the same thing. I lived too far west though. I ended up getting treatment at South Nassau Hospital. I am a gleason 6 score and my psa was low so it was a low grade. The doctors I first went to told me I had to have IGRT and they were the only people to have it and that seed implants were no good for people becuase you are radioactive. I ended up getting the same treatment somewhere else. I was better off - it was a nicer office and the staff was pleasent. I heard about that place in Huntington too. It is supposed to be the best treatment machines anywhere and I was told the staff and the place was great. I wish I could have gone there.
WOW, I didn't think this blog would generate such an interesting discussuion...I think it is important for men to understand they have options for treatment, both in terms of modality of treatment (Seeds, external radiation or surgery) as well as location of treatment. There is a mind set on Long Island that NYC has the best care. Although this may be true for rare cancers and diseases, it is not so for radiation therapy for prostste cancer. In fact, free standing centers frquently have more modern equipment than large hospitals, since the center is not competing for funding with other departments in the hospital. If your doctor is an owner of a center, be it an MRI, GammaKnife, Surgi Center, or Radiation Therapy Center, I think you should be told why you are being directed to a specific center. If it is based on superior technology, that is fine, but if it is because the doctor owns the CAT scanner, MRI or Radiation Machine, I don't feel that is fair to the patient. Especially if you have to drive far from home to go to that center... Also, realize IMRT and IGRT can be done in many ways, and there is no agreement in the scientific community to determine which modality is superior. Our center can do IGRT with markers placed into the prostate, or with ultrasound (BAT) or with cone beam CT... we choose the method which is best for the patient...after all, isn't that why you come to us? To do what is best for YOU?
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