* MakatiMed introduces cutting-edge cancer treatment

[Kano]

MakatiMed introduces cutting-edge cancer treatment



Manila Standard Topday April 29th, 2012





The Tomotherapy machine

Of all diseases, cancer scares me most because our family has a history. My maternal grandmother's sister died of cancer, an aunt on the same side had cervical cancer and a cousin who is only in her early 30s is undergoing chemotherapy for cervical cancer. It doesn't come as a comfort that I'm physically active and don't have any vices because I've known some athletes who had cancer simply because it is in their genes. These days, it pays to be vigilant and become better acquainted with your own body.

It is everyone's wish–even those who live a relatively healthy lifestyle–to have a better, safer and more effective treatment for cancer, even those that are in later stage. And that's exactly what Makati Medical Center delivers with its introduction of a cutting-edge radiation treatment known as TomoTherapy. TomoTherapy is a new radiation therapy offered exclusively at MakatiMed, which employs intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). it is currently known as the most superior treatment technique for delivering the desired dose to the tumor while limiting healthy tissue-exposure.

"Unlike chemotherapy and other cancer treatments, TomotTherapy is more advanced, more effective with less side effects, depending on the part [of the body] being treated," shares Kathleen Baldivia, MD, Radiation Oncology section head at MakatiMed.

TomoTherapy combines planning, patient positioning and treatment delivery into one system. it is the latest form of image-guided radiation therapy using an integrated computed tomography (CT) system combined with advanced software to identify and locate the tumor site before each radiation treatment," she adds.

This cutting-edge treatment was first introduced for clinical use at the University of Wisconsin, USA, in 2003 following the heels of radiation treatment methods attempting to target tumors found in specific areas of the a patient's body. TomoTherapy, however, reduces, if not all together avoids radiation dose to otherwise healthy tissues surrounding the tumors. That way, the patient's recovery is faster compared with the conventional radiation treatment methods wherein hand-cut blocks are used to shield normal body parts from the wide radiation beams.

Tomotherapy is a superior technique for delivering desired dose to the tumor while limiting healthy tissue-exposure.

According to Baldivia, conventional radiation treatments make use of a 3D conformal radiation, a device in the head of the machine called multi-leaf collimator (MLC) that allows delivery of a radiation field adapting closely to the shape and size of a tumor.

"But even with MLCs, radiation dose still leaks to normal tissues around the tumor. With TomoTherapy, it doesn't," she says.

TomoTherapy resembles a CT scan machine. It boasts of a 3D image-guided capability to determine the precise location and a size of a tumor in a patient's body. It emits radiation dose in a 360- degree fashion around the patient allowing the doctors to adjust the intensity of the radiation beam in each of the beamlets.

"With the radiation beam further subdivided into beamlets, doctors can give varying doses across one treatment area," explains Baldivia. "That way, you have the highest dose for the tumor and the lowest dose to surrounding normal organs."

"Chemotherapy may be top of mind when it comes to cancer treatments, but with TomoTherapy system, patients will appreciate more the importance and efficacy of radiation. For some cancers, TomoTherapy is the main treatment—not surgery or chemotherapy, which is given in many advanced cases. And since it is also used to relived symptoms, it improves the patient's quality of life," she ends.


Source: http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/04/29/makatimed-introduces-cutting-edge-cancer-treatment/