Imaging, Therapy Combo Reduces Safety Margin in Oncology

New technology combines the most sophisticated imaging and therapy techniques to allow clinicians to better visualize the changing location, shape, and size of tumors, and adapt each treatment accordingly to provide a more-customized approach to cancer therapy.

Recent developments in Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART) include systems for Volume-Guided Radiation Therapy (VGRT) and Dose-Guided Radiation Therapy (DGRT), in addition to new genomic and proteomic tools that are redefining the therapeutic approach in oncology and creating a cohesive healthcare continuum in oncology.

Siemens Medical Solutions' (Erlangen, Germany) broad range of ART systems includes the Primatom system, a unique image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) system that combines a Siemens linear accelerator with a Somatom computed tomography (CT) scanner with sliding gantry to provide the ability to visualize treatment structures prior to treatment in order to assure correct patient positioning. Siemens' CT-sliding gantry system is recognized as the gold standard in in-room treatment imaging.

The company's latest advancement in ART, MVision, is Siemens' megavoltage cone beam (MVCB) IGRT system, the first commercial implementation of cone beam technology utilizing a standard radiotherapy treatment beam. MVision makes it possible for the megavoltage (MV) source used for treatment to also create a three-dimensional (3D) image of the patient, enabling clinicians to "see inside” the patient at the most appropriate moment.

"Disparate pieces of the therapeutic puzzle create adequate, but by no means optimal care,” said Holger Schmidt, the new president of Siemens Medical Solutions Oncology Care division. "By transforming the therapeutic approach, we can connect those pieces and complete the picture of truly personalized cancer care.”

Mr. Schmidt, flanked by radiation oncology researcher and co-presenter Dr. John Buatti of the University of Iowa (Iowa City, USA), delivered his comments at the 48th Annual American Society of Therapeutic Radiology (ASTRO) meeting held in November 2006 in Philadelphia (PA, USA).

"Technologic advances such as this can increase the ‘safety margin' of patient treatments while at the same time reducing costs,” said Dr. Buatti. "We have the ability to be incredibly precise with the delivery of radiation therapy, and that's great news for patients.”

In addition to MVision, Siemens presented its oncology workflow and information technology (IT) systems with the syngoSuite for Oncology, based on the company's universal user-friendly software platform for all modalities. The syngo Suite for Oncology integrates imaging, data, and user management functions of the principle users in radiation oncology departments to provide optimal workflow.



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