New
Radiation System Promises More Precise Treatment for Hard-to-Reach Cancers |
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innovative radiation therapy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital promises more precise
treatment for hard-to-reach cancers of the head and neck, spine and several other
locations. The promise of the technology, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy,
and its delivery system, dubbed Peacock, lies in its ability to develop
computerized treatment plans to focus radiation only on the tumor, sparing healthy tissue.
A major limitation of using radiation to treat cancer is the damage it inflicts on normal
tissue. Because of this, treatments are limited in intensity, scope and duration. |
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Treatment
Eligibility Criteria
Initially, patients with tumors of the head
and neck region, spine and pelvis will be
eligible for treatment. Thereafter, additional
clinical trials will be established for a
variety of other tumors, including lung and
prostate cancer.
To refer a patient, or for more information,
please call 1-800-JEFF-NOW. |
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The Peacock System is used to treat a
chemodactoma (yellow structure) and a pituitary adenoma (red) in a 70-year-old man with a
history of neck swelling and endocrine abnormalities. In this case, 4500 cGy was delivered
to each lesion. The mean dose to the brain stem was 1500 cGy. The spinal cord, brain stem
and optic nerves are spared, showing how multiple targets can be treated simultaneously
with the Peacock System. (Isodose contours show 50 percent to 100 percent of maximum
dose.)
Images and outlined anatomy courtesy oi
Bayior College of MedicinelThe Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX |
The
system "uses layered therapy," explains Maria Werner-Wasik,
MD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College. "It
allows specific areas of the patient to be treated, rather than a larger region." A
special crane moves the treatment table and the patient during therapy.
She explains that in traditional treatments, radiation does
not reach tumors uniformly. For many tumors, healthy tissue simply gets in the way. For
others, portions of the tumor may vary in thickness and size. "Modifying the way
radiation is delivered should enable us to get radiation to hard-to-reach margins and also
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uniformly irradiate tumors that
differ in thickness," Dr. Werner-Wasik says. "It [Peacock] has an ability to
conform a high-dose area of radiation to the shape of the tumor, even an irregular shape.
It's the radiation oncologist's dream to be able to do this," she notes.
"Peacock allows us to start with what we think is the
ideal deposition of radiation for
the patient's tumor," says Walter Curran Jr.,
MD, Professor and Chair of Radiation
Oncology and Clinical Director of Jefferson's
Iiirnmel Cancer Center. He calls Peacock
"conceptually revolutionary."
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