New radiation therapy technology expands cancer treatment horizon at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Above: Radiation therapists treating first patient using new “Versa HD Linear Accelerator” at the Princess Alexandra Hospital - Radiation Oncology Department
After several months of extensive planning, installation and commissioning, the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) – Radiation Oncology Department is looking forward to the future as it commences clinical operation of its next generation radiation treatment machine.
Delivered on the 27th of June this year, the machine known as a “Versa HD Linear Accelerator” is the latest in radiation therapy technology from Swedish based precision radiation medicine company Elekta™.
The Versa HD Linear Accelerator offers a host of updated features that significantly enhance the ability to successfully manage a range of cancer conditions with radiation therapy.
One such feature is its automated image guidance system for visualising tumour motion. Advances in this area help streamline the delivery of highly accurate radiation treatment by accounting for variations in tumour position due to breathing. This is particularly important when treating cancers of the lung and abdominal area.
The Versa HD Linear Accelerator also administers radiation at a higher dose rate than previous models, reducing the time required to administer modern treatment techniques such as Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR).
Another notable aspect of the new radiation treatment machine is its integration with additional systems that have been installed to support the delivery of specialised radiation therapy applications at the PAH.
ExacTrac Dynamic™ – Produced by Brainlab (a German software and hardware healthcare company), the ExacTrac Dynamic is a precision patient monitoring system that uses thermal surface imaging and real-time X-ray tracking to visualise and verify a patient is positioned correctly for radiation treatment.
This technology (the first of its kind in Australia), enables the implementation of more comfortable physical immobilisation methods, such as the use of an open-face mask for brain treatments and provides an alternative for patients who prefer not to have permanent treatment alignment marks (tattoos) applied to their skin.
HexaPOD evo™ - The HexaPOD evo positioning platform, is an infrared guided robotic couch that a patient lies on for their treatment. This system allows sub-millimeter adjustments in all directions and can alter a patient’s rotation by up to 6 degrees to set their position for highly targeted radiation treatment.
With the introduction of this new technology, the PAH - Radiation Oncology Department is now ready to begin expanding the scope of treatments it provides. As a result, patients seeking public cancer treatment services in South East Queensland can expect in the very near future to have greater access to radiation therapy that offers better clinical outcomes for a range of select conditions.