Alfred Health Radiation Oncology First to Use New Radiotherapy Technology to Target Organs that Move

Alfred Health’s William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre (WBRC) in Melbourne announced that they have begun treating cancer patients using Brainlab ExacTrac® Adaptive Gating. This clinically proven system for high-precision cancer treatment offers local and regional patients access to next-generation radiation therapy treatment.

“A key principle in the evolution of radiotherapy has always been the reduction of normal tissue toxicity” said Jeremy Ruben MD, MBBCh (Hons), FCRadOnc (SA), FRANZCR, Mmed, Radiation Oncologist, Director of Training, William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre, The Alfred. “Margins can be reduced if variations in patient breathing patterns and internal tumor motion are correlated and accounted for in treatment planning and delivery. In order to deliver a consistent, precise and safe gated treatment, monitoring internal tumor position with image guidance is essential before and during every treatment.”

ExacTrac uses high-resolution stereoscopic X-ray images acquired before or during treatment delivery or between fields to instantly detect and visualize internal structures and their displacement. The system provides a proprietary 6D (x/y/z along with angular) fusion and robotic alignment in a quick, automated two-minute process.

ExacTrac Adaptive Gating helps to ensure that the radiation beam is delivered only when the tumor is in a pre-defined target area. It addresses respiration-induced tumor motion by combining continuous optical infrared patient tracking with the X-ray verification of the internal position via an implanted fiducial marker throughout the gated treatment. ExacTrac Adaptive Gating addresses daily respiration pattern changes and intra-fraction variation (e.g. breathing baseline shifts). WBRC treats small lung and liver tumors with their new adaptive gating program.

“For more than twenty years Brainlab has refined precise patient setup for stereotactic treatments,” said Stefan Vilsmeier, President and CEO, Brainlab. “ExacTrac Adaptive Gating represents a significant shift in cancer treatment. Patients now have access to care that helps enable precise Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT). Patients only need to receive treatment between three and eight times as opposed to the 20 or 30 fractions that are required for conventional approaches.“

SBRT for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been associated with an improvement in overall survival for elderly patients who are not eligible for surgery. Local control and overall survival at three years for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with SBRT has been show to be comparable to surgery.1

Future plans in Radiation Oncology at Alfred Health include Brainlab HybridArc™ techniques and Adaptive Radiation Therapy.

For more information on Brainlab ExacTrac adaptive gating, visit www.brainlab.com/radiosurgery-products/radiosurgery-products/exactrac/