Hybrid Linac-MRI System: New Medical Imaging Combines Medical Linear Accelerators And Magnetic Resonance Imagers

ScienceDaily (July 30, 2009) — Canadian scientists at the University of Alberta's Cross Cancer Institute are developing a new technology that integrates two existing medical devices -- medical linear accelerators, or "linacs," which produce powerful X-rays for treating cancer, and magnetic resonance imagers (MRIs), which are widely used to image tumors in the human body.

The proposed hybrid Linac-MR system promises to help doctors treat certain types of cancer by allowing them to accurately monitor moving tumors in people's lungs and other soft tissues such as the liver or prostate in real time while the radiation treatment is ongoing. Though the new technology is not yet available in the clinic, the Canadian scientists have now demonstrated its feasibility for the near future.

In related research, a group from Stanford University is determining the specifications for how the new technology can be used. Both groups will discuss their latest findings at the 51st meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), which takes place from July 26 - 30, 2009 in Anaheim, California.

source: Science Daily Press`Release

Varian Medical Systems Receives 510(k) Clearance for Fast and Accurate Acuros™ Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Capability

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announced that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Acuros™ capability offered initially in its brachytherapy treatment planning system. The Acuros clearance was awarded as part of the market-leading Eclipse™ treatment planning system.

BrachyVision™ Acuros, recently introduced at the American Brachytherapy Society meeting in Toronto, Canada, enables superior dose calculation at unmatched speed. The system enables clinicians to rapidly calculate patient dose with an extremely high level of accuracy*.

"BrachyVision Acuros calculation times tend to average between three and eight minutes depending on the applicator used," says Hosea Mitchell, head of Varian's brachytherapy business unit. "By comparison, the same calculations could take hours or days using the standard Monte Carlo method."

source: Varian Medical Systems

ASTRO issues consensus statement on using APBI to treat breast cancer

Fairfax, Va., July 15, 2009 – The American Society for Radiation Oncology has published a consensus statement outlining patient selection criteria and best practices for the use of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) outside the context of a clinical trial in the July 15 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO.

For decades, whole-breast irradiation (WBI), where radiation is delivered to the whole breast every day for five to eight weeks, has been the standard treatment for patients with early breast cancer treated with breast conserving surgery. WBI has been shown to reduce the risk of recurrence in the affected breast and
increase the likelihood of long-term survival. However, recently there has been growing interest in using APBI, where radiation is used to treat only the part of the breast affected by cancer and the treatment time is decreased from several weeks to four or five days.

APBI has several benefits, including a decreased overall treatment time and a decrease in the radiation delivered to healthy tissue and adjacent organs, but its long-term safety and effectiveness compared to WBI are not yet known and results of randomized trials comparing APBI with WBI will not be available for many years. In the meantime, guidance for use of APBI outside of a clinical trial is needed.

source: ASTRO