ESOPHAGEAL CANCER

A Highly Precise, Personalized Treatment for Esophageal Cancer

Precision matters.

Advances in care mean there are several options for people diagnosed with esophageal cancer, helping to ensure they receive the most effective treatment for their particular medical condition. For locally advanced cancer, one of these options may be treatment with radiation therapy. The TomoTherapy® platform, including the next-generation Radixact® System, is the first in the world that is capable of helical radiation delivery – continuously delivering high-quality helical fan-beam imaging for accurate image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) from multiple 360 degree rotations around the patient’s body – providing a highly precise, personalized and non-invasive option for treating esophageal cancer at various stages of the disease.

Key treatment facts about the Radixact System using TomoTherapy technology

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You deserve the best possible treatment for your esophageal cancer. Find a physician in your area offering the Radixact System – and find out if Radixact treatment is right for you.

A clinically proven treatment for esophageal cancer

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 esophageal cancer at various stages, including recurrent disease. The use of IG-IMRT is supported by published clinical studies.

IG-IMRT: A more precise option for anal cancer treatment

Radiation therapy can provide a non-surgical, non-invasive treatment option for many esophageal cancer patients. An extremely precise type of radiation therapy, called image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT), may offer more precise dose-delivery to enhance treatment efficacy while helping to reduce the risk of effects.

The TomoTherapy platform, including the next-generation Radixact System, is the only system designed from the ground up to deliver IG-IMRT and was the first to feature helical radiation delivery and integrated CT imaging – providing greater control of the radiation dose so it conforms precisely to the tumor and helps minimize dose to healthy tissue.

Instead of a single beam of radiation, the Radixact System divides each beam into many smaller, narrow “beamlets.” Every beamlet is individually optimized to a specific intensity of radiation that is targeted at the tumor, enabling customized and precise treatment delivery. Thousands of these beamlets combine in the tumor to contribute to the total radiation dose each patient has been prescribed. This is called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The enhanced form of IMRT, IG-IMRT, uses live images acquired before or during treatment to ensure accurate patient and tumor positioning.

A non-invasive option

Radiation therapy is part of the primary treatment of locally advanced esophageal cancer, typically in combination with chemotherapy. Your doctor may use radiation therapy with chemotherapy exclusively or followed by surgery. Radiation therapy may also be used to help manage symptoms such as pain, bleeding, or trouble swallowing, treat tumors that have recurred, or help treat cancer that has spread to other areas of the body.

The Radixact System provides the flexibility to adapt radiation therapy to each patient’s anatomy, helping enable the delivery of extremely precise and accurate radiation doses to improve treatment outcomes and help reduce the risk of side effects that may impact patients’ quality of life.

Treatment with the Radixact System is a non-surgical, non-invasive, outpatient procedure that does not require incisions or general anesthesia. Most patients will not require hospitalization or a long recovery time.

Enabling re-treatment

Because the precise targeting of the Radixact System significantly reduces irradiation of surrounding healthy tissues, the Radixact System can be a powerful treatment option for a wide range of esophageal cancer patients, including patients who have previously undergone radiation or surgical procedures, and experience a recurrence.

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References:

1 Bai XH, Dang J, Chen ZQ, He Z, Li G. Comparison between Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy and Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy for Their Effectiveness in Esophageal Cancer Treatment: A Retrospective Single Institution Study. J Oncol. 2020 Mar 20;2020:6582341.

2 Nguyen NP, Jang S, Vock J, Vinh-Hung V, Chi A, Vos P, Pugh J, Vo RA, Ceizyk M, Desai A, Smith-Raymond L; International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group. Feasibility of intensity-modulated and image-guided radiotherapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer. BMC Cancer. 2014 Apr 17;14:265.

3 Lin WC, Chang CL, Hsu HL, Yuan KS, Wu ATH, Wu SY. Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy-Based or Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy-Based Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel). 2019 Oct 10;11(10):1529.

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Please note: Accuray is the manufacturer of the CyberKnife®, TomoTherapy®, and Radixact® Systems. As the manufacturer, we are unable to provide specific medical advice, view medical records, or schedule appointments.
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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.