December 10, 2007 - Stony Brook University Medical Center is now using the ExacTrac X-ray 6D System, a new radiotherapy system that combines high-tech imaging with precision tumor-targeting capability, meant for patients who do not want surgical treatment.
The system reportedly adds to patient options for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a technique that features high radiation doses with pinpoint precision to tumors.
Treatments take one to two weeks to complete and require three or four doses, while conventional beam therapy often lasts many weeks and many doses. According to the university, the treatment procedure with the ExacTrac System consists of four major steps: 1) An automated and image-guided patient positioning system, based on the patient's form and location of tumor, is used for the initial patient set-up; 2) high-resolution X-rays pinpoint internal tumor sites, verifying the location across six dimensions and calculating key reference points for delivery of radiotherapy; 3) a remote control system corrects any initial patient set-up errors; and 4) the system tracks any patient movement that may affect treatment during the entire session.
For more information: www.stonybrook.edu