TrueBeam Advances in Radiotherapy

The TrueBeam™ system is an advanced medical linear accelerator-or radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatment system-capable of fast and precise image-guided radiotherapy.
This technology from Varian Medical Systems was engineered from the ground up to deliver high doses with accuracy in the fractions of millimeters, narrowly targeting tumors and better able to avoid the surrounding healthy tissues and organs.
TrueBeam delivers many forms of advanced treatments, including image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), RapidArc® radiotherapy technology and Gated RapidArc. The ability to choose between these different treatment modalities represents a game-changing level of flexibility for tailoring a patient’s radiotherapy treatments. With TrueBeam, doctors can tailor treatments for each patient’s specific case.
With Varian’s TrueBeam system, treatments can be performed with unparalleled ease, precision and speed. This technology makes it possible to deliver fast, accurate image-guided treatments within just a few minutes per day.
The precision of Varian’s TrueBeam system is measured in increments of less than a millimeter. This accuracy is made possible by the system’s sophisticated architecture, which synchronizes imaging, patient positioning, motion management, beam shaping and dose delivery. The system performs accuracy checks every ten milliseconds throughout the entire treatment.
Before and at any point during a treatment, the TrueBeam system can generate high-quality 3-D images of the tumor and surrounding anatomy, and this can be done 60% faster than was possible with previous generations of Varian imaging technology. Images can be generated using 25% less X-ray dose. These images are used to fine-tune a patient’s position prior to and during the treatment process.
TrueBeam offers many other innovations, including:
• Imaging tools that can verify not only the patient’s position, but also the magnitude of tumor motion during a treatment, enabling accurate tumor targeting.
• Fast, automated treatment delivery management software that significantly shortens the duration of sophisticated treatments involving different beam angles.
• RapidArc radiotherapy technology, which delivers a precise image-guided intensity-modulated treatment in as little as two minutes a day. RapidArc and a new Gated RapidArc capability make it possible to use this treatment approach for tumors of the kidney, liver, lung and breast, when tumor motion is an issue.
In addition to faster treatments, TrueBeam’s enhanced communication technology enables a constant interaction between the patient and therapist operating the equipment, creating a virtual presence of the therapist in the treatment room. Three closed-circuit television systems enable comprehensive monitoring of the patient and the system from outside the treatment room. Additional enhanced features allow music to be played during treatment, helping to create a more soothing treatment environment.
Why Does Speed Matter?
Faster radiotherapy treatments can be easier on the patient, who does not need to hold still for long periods of time. By reducing the time it takes to deliver IMRT and other highly precise forms of radiotherapy, TrueBeam has the potential to improve patient comfort.
The Technology
Varian’s TrueBeam is an innovative medical technology that integrates and synchronizes performance of imaging and treatment technology. The system’s imager is used to guide patient placement and treatment delivery. The machine rotates around the patient to deliver the radiation treatments from nearly any angle.
The radiation beam is sculpted and shaped to match the three-dimensional shape of the tumor. This is accomplished using an important accessory called a multileaf collimator (MLC), a device with 120 computer-controlled mechanical “leaves” or “fingers” that can move to create apertures of different shapes and sizes. The MLC aperture changes during the course of treatment, to carefully target the tumor and protect surrounding tissues to the greatest extent possible.
The Benefits of Treatment on a Varian TrueBeam Machine
• TrueBeam unlocks treatment options for patients who otherwise may not have been candidates for traditional radiotherapy. It gives medical professionals the tools to treat more complex cancer cases.
• TrueBeam is fast and precise. Its speed means shorter treatment times, which leads to less interruption of patients’ daily lives.
• Varian’s TrueBeam system was designed with patient comfort in mind. Sophisticated engineering can enhance the patient experience.