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One of the UK's largest radiotherapy departments has begun treatments using fast and efficient RapidArc technology from Varian Medical Systems. Four head & neck cancer patients have been treated to date at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow.

The advanced RapidArc system, which has been introduced clinically on two Varian Clinac® medical linear accelerators, delivers precise image-guided IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) up to four times faster than conventional IMRT, which the Beatson introduced in 2005. Studies* show that faster treatments allow for greater precision, since there is less chance of patient or tumor movement during treatment delivery and, with less time on the treatment couch, also allow for greater patient comfort.

"This is a significant advance for one of the busiest cancer centers in the country and provides an opportunity to offer advanced IMRT treatments to more patients," says David Dodds, clinical lead for radiotherapy. "In the past the provision for IMRT has been limited as this sophisticated technique typically takes longer to deliver. RapidArc will allow us to treat much more quickly and as a result more patients will be able to benefit from the technology."

Garry Currie, head of radiotherapy physics at the Beatson, added, "RapidArc was installed on two of the department's linear accelerators a few weeks ago and was commissioned quickly to allow the benefits of this technology to be made available as soon as possible to patients requiring radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancer.  These treatments will be extended to include other cancers such as prostate and brain in the months ahead." He added, "The Beatson was the first radiotherapy centre in Scotland to introduce IMRT and we have been seeking new methods to allow more patients to receive the benefits of this highly conformal technology. Previously, patient treatments would have required up to nine different positions of the treatment machine to be set in sequence. Now, instead of this stop and start approach, with RapidArc such treatments will take place in two continuous rotations of the machine, taking just over two minutes. This is up to four times quicker to deliver than standard IMRT."

The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre treats more than 7,000 patients each year on 11 Varian medical linear accelerators. With a catchment area covering half the population of Scotland, the center has a history of pioneering advanced radiotherapy treatments.

"We are delighted that more patients will gain access to image-guided IMRT treatments thanks to RapidArc," says David Dodds. "IMRT has become established as an accurate, reliable and efficient means of radiotherapy delivery, allowing optimum radiation doses to be delivered to the tumor while at the same time allowing sparing of surrounding normal tissues. As a result, side-effects from radiation treatment are significantly diminished and tumor control is potentially increased."

Source:Varian Medical Systems