San Diego Radiosurgery Among First To Deliver Gated Treatment in North America Using Novalis Tx™ Radiosurgery Platform and ExacTrac® Adaptive Gating | Varian

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San Diego Radiosurgery Among First To Deliver Gated Treatment in North America Using Novalis Tx™ Radiosurgery Platform and ExacTrac® Adaptive Gating

San Diego, Calif. – January 7, 2010 – San Diego Radiosurgery, a service of Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California, is among the first in North America to treat a patient using the Novalis Tx™ radiosurgery platform with ExacTrac® Adaptive Gating. ExacTrac Adaptive Gating from BrainLAB addresses respiration induced tumor motion, allowing treatment only when the tumor is in the targeted position-ensuring precise dose delivery in order to protect nearby tissue and organs.

“We are extremely excited to bring this new technology to the patients in San Diego County,” said Lori A. Coleman, M.D., Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Palomar Medical Center. “The ability to gate treatment allows us to minimize dose to normal tissue, while optimizing dose to the tumor. We are now able to treat patients whose tumors are in areas that may have been previously untreatable or very difficult to treat.”

Using ExacTrac Adaptive Gating, doctors at San Diego Radiosurgery were able to treat a small lesion in the liver while minimizing dose to nearby normal surrounding tissue. ExacTrac Adaptive Gating offers motion management tools that monitor and adjust for changes in respiration and tumor movement. Tumor motion changes that occur naturally from day to day previously inhibited doctors’ ability to use highly-focused radiation to treat areas such as the lung and liver.  When treatment was possible, large margins were required to compensate for tumor motion and ensure sufficient tumor coverage, potentially harming nearby healthy tissue and organs.

ExacTrac Adaptive Gating combines continuous optical infrared tracking to monitor external patient movement and X-ray imaging to verify internal tumor position. During a gated treatment, radiation delivery is paused until the tumor is in a pre-defined target area, enabling doctors to administer a safer dose for more effective treatment. Gated radiation delivery also allows patients to maintain normal breathing patterns, creating a more comfortable treatment experience than is possible with breath-hold and restrictive immobilization techniques.

“With the Novalis Tx radiosurgery platform, we offer our patients revolutionary tumor treatment that is fast, typically does not require an invasive procedure or anesthesia and potentially shortens the number of treatment sessions needed,” Dr. Coleman said. “Adaptive gating has added another very important tool to the platform, allowing us to extend this revolutionary treatment to more patients.”

San Diego Radiosurgery was made possible through a partnership between US Radiosurgery and Palomar Pomerado Health. The center has been treating patients with the Novalis Tx radiosurgery platform since October 2008 and performed the first gated treatment on October 30, 2009.

About The Novalis Tx Radiosurgery Platform
The Novalis Tx radiosurgery platform from Varian Medical Systems and BrainLAB incorporates sophisticated beam-shaping, as well as image-guidance technologies for accurate patient positioning.  In addition, two systems for motion management-the ExacTrac(tm) Adaptive Gating system from BrainLAB, and the Real-time Position Management (RPM(tm)) System from Varian-are available on the platform, allowing clinicians multiple approaches for dealing with tumor motion during treatment. Automated 6D robotics ensure fast, accurate patient positioning, saving time for the patient and OR staff, and a “snap verification” tool allows physicians to take instant images at any point during the treatment to verify that the tumor is being accurately targeted, even if the patient’s breathing cycle changes.

About San Diego Radiosurgery
San Diego Radiosurgery uses the Novalis Tx(tm) image-guided radiosurgery platform to offer revolutionary treatment of the brain, neck, head and body using precisely focused, high-energy radiation. A non-invasive, painless procedure that requires no anesthesia and no recovery time, radiosurgery can destroy tumors or treat other medical conditions that cannot be addressed by conventional surgery. San Diego Radiosurgery is located in Palomar Medical Center’s Department of Radiation Oncology at 555 East Valley Parkway in Escondido, Ca. Visit www.sdradiosurgery.com for more information.

About Palomar Pomerado Health
Palomar Pomerado Health (PPH), California’s largest public health district, is North County’s most comprehensive health-care delivery system – nationally recognized for clinical excellence in cardiac care, women’s services, cancer, orthopedics, trauma, rehabilitation and behavioral health services. PPH was named San Diego County’s Best Place to Work in 2006. Facilities include Palomar Medical Center, Pomerado Hospital, Villa Pomerado Skilled Nursing Facility, Palomar Continuing Care Center, the Jean McLaughlin Women’s Center and PPH expresscare retail health centers. Visit www.pph.org for more information on comprehensive services and facilities.

Contact:
Laura Bauchert, San Diego Radiosurgery
760-739-3764, lbauchert@sdradiosurgery.com