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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