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Varian TrueBeam™ Radiotherapy

World-class radiotherapy treatment, close to home

One of today's most advanced forms of radiation therapy for cancer delivers new hope in the Merrimack Valley. With a combined 8 million dollar investment in state-of-the-art CT simulators, linear accelerators, and sophisticated treatment planning computers, the Cancer Center at Lowell General Hospital is among the first in the nation – and the first in New England – to acquire the cutting-edge Varian TrueBeam™ radiotherapy system which provides cancer treatment that is faster and more accurate than ever before, including treatment of certain types of cancer that have challenged even the world's best centers.

Varian TrueBeamThis sophisticated system uses image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) to deliver precise doses of radiation with exceptional accuracy and timing.

"Since the radiation is delivered four times as fast and can hit a smaller target area than older systems. Even the smallest groupings of cancer cells can be eliminated while sparing nearby healthy tissue," says Dr. Nicholas Kuritzky, an expert who leads the radio-surgery program at the Cancer Center. "This high level of accuracy is vital to reduce the side effects of therapy and improve cure rates."

The fully-integrated system can also automatically compensate for movement that occurs when patients breathe, making it possible to treat a moving tumor as if it were absolutely still. This dramatically improves the treatment possibilities and reduces the side effects of therapy for lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, pancreas and colon cancers that are affected by even the slightest motions like a breath, cough or twitch.

Jeffrey D. GoldsteinDr. Jeffrey Goldstein, chief of radiation oncology at the Cancer Center explains, "For a woman with cancer in her left breast, treatment is tricky because the heart sits so close to the treatment area. Combining state-of-the-art treatment planning with 3-D imaging and the precise delivery of the TrueBeam, we can accommodate heart motion due to breathing and ensure that radiation is not delivered when the heart is exposed during movement.These adjustments by the system during a treatment session ensure that radiation hits its target and isn't diverted to healthy areas."

The Varian TrueBeam completes a sophisticated, comprehensive, radiotherapy system at Lowell General, connected to vital components for imaging, treatment planning, computing, and recording. As the only fully-integrated, complete system in New England, the Cancer Center is serving as a model facility for other cancer programs throughout the country to witness; showcasing the nation's newest hope for cancer treatment with radiation, right in Lowell.

Read about one patient's experience: Pinpoint Accuracy, Targeted Treatment: Radiosurgery Delivers Hope for Cancer Survival

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