Tomotherapy

The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Arizona is one of the few hospitals in the Southwest to offer the TomoTherapy HiArt® treatment system, a new way to deliver radiation treatment for cancer. TomoTherapy involves the safe delivery of high radiation doses to a very small, targeted area. 

A truly integrated approach to radiation therapy

The system integrates imaging with radiation treatment, allowing physicians to verify the position of the tumor immediately before each treatment session.  This way,adjustments can be made on the spot to make sure that radiation is delivered exactly where it should be. This is important because tumors can move and change shape and size quickly.

Traditional radiation therapies project radiation on a tumor from a few directions. With TomoTherapy the Radiation Therapy Team can deliver precise and powerful doses of radiation therapy from 360-degrees.

Even if patients have reached their maximum tolerance dose of traditional radiation, or if their tumor is in a hard-to-reach area, TomoTherapy may open new doors to advanced radiation therapy treatments.

The equipment used for TomoTherapy looks much like a computed tomography (CT) system: the patient lies on a couch that moves continuously through a rotating ring gantry. The gantry houses a linear accelerator, which delivers radiation in the shape of a fan beam as the ring is turning. With the couch moving at the same time the gantry is rotating, the radiation beam makes a spiral (or helical) pattern around the patient, targeting tumors with optimal levels of radiation while minimizing the dose to healthy areas. 

CT Large Bore Technology

The University of Arizona Department of Radiation Oncology recently enhanced its radiation program by introducing the Phillips Brilliance CT Big Bore. The Brilliance CT Big Bore cutting-edge innovation enhances the process of detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and provides solutions to help clinicians confidently affect patient care and reduce costs.

The 85cm bore size enable the ability to scan patients with immobilization devices, patient monitoring, intravenous delivery devices and respiratory devices without compromising image quality or positioning. The large bore CT allows for flexible treatment setups and comprehensive motion management tools to improve confidence in treatment volume assessment.

With the Brilliance Big Bore CT scanner technology, we truly enter the multislice arena now and for the future.