Image-Guided Radiation Therapy
Elekta Synergy® S, is the first linear accelerator-based system capable of performing 4D Adaptive™ Radiation Therapy, a sophisticated Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) treatment approach that relies on images of anatomy and disease to guide radiation delivery precisely to the tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Advanced radiation therapy techniques like intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) precisely deliver the intended dose to a tumor, and provide maximum sparing of healthy tissue. This requires that the planned dose distribution is highly conformed around the tumor. Since the dose plan is precise and highly conformal, clinicians need a high degree of confidence that the delivery will be extremely accurate so that the radiation reaches its intended target.
Elekta® XVI (X-ray Volume Imaging) technology for IGRT enables clinicians to acquire 2D, 3D, or 4D images prior to each treatment session. Using these images, clincians can visualize soft tissue detail in any area of the body, which enables two potential benefits for patients.
First, IGRT has the potential to minimize the side effects of radiation therapy by reducing the margins previously set to account for uncertainties of target dimensions/location/movement. Second, IGRT gives clinicians the potential to increase the dose and shorten treatment regimes if daily XVI images give them high confidence that a plan will be accurately delivered.
Just prior to treatment, clinicians acquire a 2D, 3D, or 4D image of the patient and compare the image to the information used to develop the treatment plan. This enables physicians to detect and correct for patient motion, and even determine if the patient would benefit from a new treatment plan.
If the patient simply needs to be moved, the treatment table can be controlled robotically to make minor adjustments. If the tumor has significantly changed position, shape, and/or size, the treatment plan can be modified as appropriate. If the tumor is likely to move during treatment (for example a lung tumor during breathing), the clinician set appropriate margins using MotionView™ 4D imaging.