University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center Doctors Treat Lung and Other Cancers Using Trilogy Image-Guided Radiation Therapy - Video Available | Varian

{ "pageType": "news-article", "title": "University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center Doctors Treat Lung and Other Cancers Using Trilogy Image-Guided Radiation Therapy - Video Available", "articleDate": "December 07, 2006", "introText": "", "category": "Oncology" }

University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center Doctors Treat Lung and Other Cancers Using Trilogy Image-Guided Radiation Therapy - Video Available

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center is among the first cancer centers in the nation to treat patients with Trilogy, a powerful new image-guided radiation therapy system that delivers high-dose radiation to even the smallest tumors. The equipment can target an area as small as a pencil point, minimizing the damage to healthy tissue. It also delivers radiation doses more than 60 percent faster than conventional linear accelerators used to treat cancer, which means that patients can receive treatments in much less time.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/trilogy/25986/

"Trilogy is the newest and latest advance in radiation treatment technology. This state-of-the-art system combines both imaging and treatment technologies in a single machine, and ties the two together, giving us maximum flexibility in developing the most effective treatment plans for our patients," says William F. Regine, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Trilogy can deliver all forms of external-beam radiation therapy -- from conventional radiation treatment and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to the newest and most advanced techniques, such as image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Trilogy's built-in imaging system can pinpoint the size and location of a patient's tumor moments before each treatment, and a "respiratory gating" component automatically synchronizes the radiation beam to the patient's breathing.

"With Trilogy, we can choose the best treatment option for each patient, whether the cancer is in the chest, abdomen, or head-and-neck area. Patients who come to our cancer center now have all of the latest radiation therapy options available in one place," Dr. Regine says.

Nearly two-thirds of cancer patients receive radiation therapy, either alone or combined with chemotherapy or surgery. Traditional radiation therapy is delivered in small daily doses over the course of weeks. With Trilogy, radiation oncologists can target even the smallest tumors with stereotactic radiotherapy, which is given over a period of several days. Stereotactic procedures deliver concentrated, high-dose radiation directly to the tumor with the help of sophisticated imaging that yields three-dimensional maps of the treatment area.

"For some patients, this type of targeted, high-dose radiation therapy is a very effective, noninvasive alternative to surgery," says Mohan Suntha, M.D., professor and vice chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and associate director of the Greenebaum Cancer Center. "With Trilogy's advanced technology, we can now treat tumors that are close to vital organs without destroying nearby healthy tissue."

The Trilogy® linear accelerator, made by Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), rotates around the patient to deliver radiation treatments from virtually every angle and sculpts the beam to the shape of the tumor. High- tech imaging equipment in robotically controlled arms mounted on the machine provides real-time images used to automatically adjust the patient's position. The system provides several kinds of images, including three-dimensional CT (computed tomography) scans.

"We can give higher doses of radiation to a smaller area over a shorter period of time. This not only allows us to treat cancers when they are small and most curable, but it also reduces side effects and makes the whole treatment process more comfortable for patients," says Cedric Yu, D.Sc., chief medical physicist and professor of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

SOURCE: University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center

CONTACT: Karen Warmkessel, kwarmkessel@umm.edu, or Ellen Beth Levitt,
eblevitt@umm.edu, +1-410-328-8919, fax: +1-410-328-0703, for University of
Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center

Web site: http://www.varian.com/