Fox Chase Cancer Center Adds "CT-on-Rails" to Radiation Therapy
For Extreme Precision PHILADELPHIA (October 7, 2003) — Fox Chase
Cancer Center in Philadelphia is the only hospital in the region
now offering a CT scan immediately prior to radiation treatment
to ensure the precise delivery of the radiation. What's more,
the CT scanner is mounted on rails in the treatment room's
flooring, allowing the patient to remain stationary on the
treatment table while the CT scanner is moved over the patient
for imaging. This technology is called CT-on-rails. Precision is
paramount when treating tumors with high doses of radiation.
IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy) allows clinicians
to shape the radiation beams to the tumor, but some organs such
as the prostate can shift positions as the body moves. CT-on-
rails tracks the organ's movement just moments before treatment
and adjustments the radiation treatment plan accordingly.
"Studies show that by increasing the level of radiation
delivered to a tumor the cure r