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Talking to Your Doctor

Ask your doctor if Radixact® is right for you

Thanks to rapid advances in treatment technologies, you have more options than ever for effectively treating your cancer. The first step in understanding your options is to talk to your doctor. To help you get that conversation started, we’ve put together a few questions to ask.

Questions to ask your doctor

  • What are my treatment options?
  • Which treatment option would best preserve my quality of life?
  • What is my recommended treatment option — and why?
  • Am I a candidate for Radixact treatment?
  • What is the treatment process for the treatment option you recommend and how long will it take?
  • What results should I expect?
  • What are the side effects and risks of the procedure; and which side effects are short-term, and which ones may be long-term?
  • How are these side effects managed and can they be prevented?

Additional information & resources

The Radixact System with TomoTherapy® technology is one of the most integrated, advanced systems for comprehensive cancer treatment available today. The Radixact System enables precise delivery of IG-IMRT, an advanced type of IMRT, for the treatment of cervical cancer.

  • An analysis of multiple, independent studies (meta-analysis) found that cervical cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) experienced significantly reduced acute gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities, and chronic GU toxicity, than patients in the control group treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) or 2DCRT 1 .
  • A study evaluated the use of helical TomoTherapy to deliver whole pelvic IMRT in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Helical TomoTherapy treatment plans were compared to those created for conventional whole pelvic radiation therapy (WPRT). The study found treatment with TomoTherapy is a viable option. Additionally, the helical TomoTherapy treatment plans successfully reduced the radiation dose to be delivered to the rectum, bladder and intestines, compared to the conventional WPRT plans 2.
  • A randomized, controlled study evaluating patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with whole pelvic conventional radiation therapy or IMRT found that IMRT was associated with significantly less acute GI toxicities and chronic GU toxicity compared with CRT, with comparable effectiveness outcomes 3.
  • Patients with cervical cancer were treated with IMRT or 3DCRT as part of a multi-treatment regimen. The study found that IMRT provides a good treatment option with reduced acute GI and GU toxicities compared to 3DCRT4.
  • A treatment planning comparison study showed that, for cervical cancer patients who were treated with post-operative external beam radiation therapy, IMRT achieved better sparing of organs at risk, including the bladder, rectum and bowel, than 3DCRT 5.
  • Results of a randomized study designed to compare cervical and endometrial cancer patients’ perspective of acute toxicity and quality of life during treatment with standard pelvic radiation or IMRT found that IMRT resulted in less impact on bowel and urinary function during treatment. Patients treated with IMRT also reported a smaller decline in physical function and other treatment-related concerns over the course of their treatment 6.

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References:

1 Lin Y., Chen K., Lu Z. et al. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for definitive treatment of cervical cancer: a meta-analysis. Radiat Oncol. 2018 Sep 14;13(1):177.

2 Hsieh C.H., Wei M.C., Lee H.Y. et al. Whole pelvic helical tomotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer: technical implementation of IMRT with helical tomotherapy. Radiat Oncol. 2009 Dec 10;4:62.

3 Gandhi A.K., Sharma D.N., Rath G.K. et al. Early clinical outcomes and toxicity of intensity modulated versus conventional pelvic radiation therapy for locally advanced cervix carcinoma: a prospective randomized study. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2013 Nov 1;87(3):542-8.

4 Naik A, Gurjar OP, Gupta KL, Singh K, Nag P, Bhandari V. Comparison of dosimetric parameters and acute toxicity of intensity-modulated and three-dimensional radiotherapy in patients with cervix carcinoma: A randomized prospective study. Cancer Radiother. 2016 Jul;20(5):370-6.

5 Marjanovic D., Plesinac Karapandzic V., Stojanovic Rundic S. et al. Implementation of intensity-modulated radiotherapy and comparison with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in the postoperative treatment of cervical cancer. J BUON. 2019 Sep-Oct;24(5):2028-2034.

6 Klopp A.H., Yeung A.R., Deshmukh S. et al. Patient-Reported Toxicity During Pelvic Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy: NRG Oncology-RTOG 1203. J Clin Oncol. 2018 Aug 20;36(24):2538-2544.

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Educating others about your experience with the Radixact® or TomoTherapy® System can help others who face similar decisions about their own cancer treatment choices.

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Important Safety Statement: Most side effects of radiotherapy, including radiotherapy delivered with Accuray systems, are mild and temporary, often involving fatigue, nausea, and skin irritation. Side effects can be severe, however, leading to pain, alterations in normal body functions (for example, urinary or salivary function), deterioration of quality of life, permanent injury and even death. Side effects can occur during or shortly after radiation treatment or in the months and years following radiation. The nature and severity of side effects depend on many factors, including the size and location of the treated tumor, the treatment technique (for example, the radiation dose), the patient’s general medical condition, to name a few. For more details about the side effects of your radiation therapy, and if treatment with an Accuray product is right for you, ask your doctor.