GPS for the Prostate: System Keeps Radiation Therapy on Target

SEATTLE, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A system for tracking the movement of the prostate during radiation therapy has gone into service at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Featuring tiny GPS-type positioning transponders implanted inside the prostate, the technology tracks any movement of the prostate in real time and alerts technicians if the organ moves beyond pre-determined parameters so they can adjust the external beam of radiation.

The advantage of using the system is that the radiation dose stays on target and less of it reaches surrounding healthy tissue, which reduces potential side effects. There is also the potential for using higher doses of radiation to attack tumors precisely while reducing the amount of time patients must undergo the procedure, according to Ken Russell, M.D., radiation oncology clinical chief at the SCCA and the University of Washington.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance