RapidArc for prostate cancer
Doctors in Emory’s Department of Radiation Oncology are the first in Georgia to use a new radiation delivery system that speeds up treatment and increases accuracy.
The first patients treated have been men with prostate cancer, but the treatment can also be used for patients with head and neck cancers or brain tumors, says Walter Curran, MD, chair of the department and chief medical officer of the Emory Winship Cancer Institute.
Curran says the main advantage to the new system, called RapidArc, is faster treatment so a patient is not lying on a treatment table for a long period of time. Limiting the time it takes can help with patient comfort as well as minimizing the chance of movement, which affects accuracy during treatment.
Treatments that once took five to 10 minutes can be performed in less than two minutes. For patients getting radiation daily over several weeks, that can make a significant difference, Curran says.
Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown both have the RapidArc system. Emory Health magazine features RaapidArc this month.
