CARY (May 13, 2009) – Wake Radiology Oncology offers a new radiation therapy system that increases precision in targeting cancer. Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) enables precise alignment of radiation beams to within two millimeters or less of a tumor during radiation therapy.

The system, ExacTrac from BrainLab AG, is useful in treating most cancer sites, but is commonly used for head and neck cancers, prostate cancer, brain tumors, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pelvic malignancies, pancreatic cancer and tumor-bed boosts for breast cancer.

Patients undergoing IGRT are pre-positioned on the linear accelerator table. An x-ray is taken before each treatment that shows the patient’s position and is compared to original CT scans of the cancer site. Using IGRT, the radiology technologist confirms setup using the software system and then ensures that the patient is positioned for optimal radiation delivery.

“Some types of radiation therapy, such as stereotactic radiosurgery, have used IGRT for years, but its widespread use began a couple of years ago,” said Scott Sailer, MD, co-medical director, Wake Radiology Oncology Services. “It gives us the ability to precisely target tumors, decrease exposure to healthy, surrounding tissue and reduce side effects in patients.”

Tom Anderson, a 57-year-old Raleigh resident, completed radiation therapy using IGRT in early 2009. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2008 that had spread to his abdomen, pelvis and lymph nodes. Since his diagnosis, he has undergone rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat the disease.

“Having this treatment gave me the assurance that the radiation was reaching the target,” noted Anderson, who never missed a day of work during his cancer treatment. “Since I had cancer in so many places, each treatment session took about 20 minutes, but thanks to the precision of this system, I feel that my side effects were reduced.”

According to Dr. Sailer, radiation therapy in general is delivered with great precision, and physicians increase the treatment margins slightly to ensure that the tumor is not missed. “Over the years, the precision of the delivered treatment plan has been good, using lasers to set up the patient and immobilizing devices that guide the patient into the same position at each session. The IGRT system gives us even greater confidence that we are on target and able to protect adjacent tissue from the effects of radiation.”

Since Wake Radiology Oncology Services opened in 1998 the practice has used three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). This allows each beam of radiation to be shaped to a 3-D image of the patient’s tumor. Some patients are candidates for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which helps avoid radiating surrounding, non-cancerous cells and allows for a higher dose of radiation to be delivered to the tumor. IGRT works with both technologies to keep the patient in alignment at each treatment session.