Cancer Center Of North Dakota First To Offer Image Guided Radiotherapy Treatment

January 4, 2007 – 6:22 pm | posted in Cancer / Oncology, MRI / PET / Ultrasound, Radiology

Cancer Center of North Dakota, the state’s newest free-standing independent cancer center in Grand Forks, has become the first cancer center in North Dakota to offer On-Board Imaging to its cancer treatment options.

The Varian Medical Systems’ On-Board Imager accessory for medical linear accelerators is designed to improve the precision and effectiveness of cancer treatments by allowing physicians to target and track tumors more accurately.

The On-Board Imager is an automated system for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). High resolution X-ray images are taken to pinpoint tumor site, adjust patient positioning and complete the treatment in a standard treatment time slot.

According to William Noyes, M.D., radiation oncologist for Cancer Center of North Dakota (CCND), offering OBI in the Grand Forks region ensures that residents are getting the latest technology without have to travel out of state.

“This is the absolute latest available technology to treat malignant tumors,” said Noyes. “Until now, we had to contend with inadequate information on tumor location and we ended up treating the healthy tissue around the tumor with radiation. The On-Board Imager is able to pinpoint the tumor location to within half a millimeter, which means we treat the tumor, not the healthy tissue.”

The On-Board Imager is mounted on the linear accelerator via robotically controlled arms which operate along three axes of motion, so it can be positioned optimally for the best view of the tumor, without ever having to move the patient. An amorphous silicon flat-panel X-ray image detector yields digital images showing internal anatomic landmarks with a high degree of precision, treatment can then be delivered from virtually any angle.

In addition, the technology incorporates a Respiratory Gating system that monitors and compensates for tumor motion during the radiation treatment. In other words, if the patient breathes deeply during the radiation treatment and the tumor moves out of the pre-set guidelines, the radiation beam shuts itself off.

The OBI device enables radiographic, fluoroscopic and 3D Conebeam CT images to be swiftly acquired at the time of treatment. Any adjustments to the patient’s position can be carried out by a radiation technician from outside of the treatment room, ensuring the fastest, most automated and most accurate IGRT in the world. The treatment appointment lasts an average of 10 to 15 minutes, and is administered over a period of time based on each specific patient’s needs.

“Prior to the introduction of OBI, the patient had to be repositioned several times for X-rays to ensure treatment was accurate,” said Noyes. “And even after that, the radiation treatment still had a relatively large margin of healthy tissue that was affected, which is a major cause of the unpleasant effects felt after treatment.

“On-Board Imaging is a new standard of cancer care, allowing for better treatment within a shorter window of time with fewer side effects and better results. We are proud to be the first to offer this treatment to people of North Dakota.”

About Cancer Center of North Dakota

Cancer Center of North Dakota is the state’s newest free-standing, independent cancer center. It is home to the Grand Forks region’s only board certified radiation oncologist who is a doctor of medicine, Dr. William Noyes, and board certified medical oncologist, Dr. Richard Cambareri. CCND offers technology, therapies and services that cannot be found anywhere else in the Grand Forks region, northwest Minnesota or all of North Dakota including On-Board Imaging for Image Guided Radiation Therapy. For more information visit http://www.cancercenternd.com.

Cancer Center of North Dakota
http://www.cancercenternd.com

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