SSM Health Cancer Care in Fond du Lac is now utilizing AlignRT® Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT) technology, which helps set up and monitor patients with sub-millimeter accuracy, while in many cases eliminating the need for small tattoos or marks for treatment alignment purposes.
The AlignRT® system uses special software and 3D cameras to track patients’ movements in real-time during radiation therapy. This is very important, because patients must remain perfectly in position as the hospital’s Varian TrueBeam® Linear Accelerator delivers treatment to the cancer site.
“The AlignRT® technology works with a variety of methods which notify the radiation therapists if any patient movement is occurring and can temporarily stop treatment to reposition patients, if necessary,” according to Michael Vander Kooy, MD, an SSM Health Cancer Care board-certified radiation oncologist.
AlignRT® uses surface guidance to determine the optimal time to administer radiation. When a patient breathes in, the heart shifts down and away from the chest wall. The patient holds her breath for about 20 seconds, during which time radiation is delivered. The process is repeated throughout the session, decreasing the heart’s exposure to radiation.
“AlignRT® uses three cameras to see the patient from every possible angle,” Dr. Vander Kooy explains. “It’s noninvasive, and there is no additional radiation exposure because it’s infrared. The system is constantly monitoring patients, so if they lose their breath, cough, or otherwise isn’t in the correct the position, radiation isn’t administered.”
Not all patients are candidates for AlignRT® or need the breath hold technique. In these cases, the physician will develop a plan to minimize radiation close to the heart.
Another very exciting component of the AlignRT® technology is that it has created the ability for some patients to receive tattoo-less radiation therapy treatments. Traditionally, small tattoos have been a common step in radiation therapy process, as they are used for alignment purposes.
“With AlignRT®, most patients are now able to forgo having any permanent tattoo marks placed on their bodies,” according to Dr. Vander Kooy. “Instead of aligning to just one tattoo point, with AlignRT® we can align patients using well over 10,000 pixels of positioning data, without increasing set up time. In addition to improved accuracy, sometimes it can be difficult for people to see the treatment tattoos and have a permanent reminder of their battle with cancer, so we are pleased to offer this advancement right here in Fond du Lac.
“Our patients appreciate no longer needing tattoos or skin marks that remind them about their treatments long after their cancer journey concludes or needed to wash off marks,” Dr. Vander Kooy adds.
The SSM Health Cancer Care team – with offices in Fond du Lac and Waupun – provides compassionate, state-of-art services close to home, eliminating the need to travel for testing, treatment or other services. To learn more, call 920-926-4100.
