LUNG CANCER

What to Expect

An effective, less disruptive treatment option

The Radixact^® System, the next-generation TomoTherapy^® platform, maximizes radiation delivered to the target — while helping to minimize radiation dose to surrounding healthy tissues. The result is highly personalized treatment designed to significantly reduce the risk of the side effects that too often disrupt the lives of patients during and after treatment. The Radixact System is one of the most integrated, advanced systems for comprehensive cancer treatment available today, enabling precise delivery of treatments for the full spectrum of lung cancer patients — ranging from early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to post-surgery treatment of mesothelioma.

NON-SURGICAL

Radixact treatment is an outpatient procedure that does not require incisions or general anesthesia. Most patients will not require hospitalization or a long recovery period. Radixact treatment also eliminates the inconvenience and risk associated with radioactive seed implants.

REDUCED INCIDENCE OF SIDE EFFECTS

The Radixact System delivers the required radiation dose to the target with high precision, which can significantly reduce the most common side effects of lung radiotherapy, such as radiation pneumonitis or difficulty swallowing.

A faster return to everyday life

With Radixact treatment, the majority of patients can continue normal activity during and immediately following treatment — compared to the typical requirements to limit normal activity for one to several weeks with traditional surgery. Just as importantly, the Radixact System reduces the risk of common side effects, such as radiation pneumonitis, difficulty swallowing, etc, protecting quality of life both during and after treatment. In some circumstances, side effects may occur.

Your Radixact treatment process

INITIAL CONSULTATION

The Radixact System treatment process begins with a consultation with a radiation oncologist who will provide perspective on this as a treatment option specific to your condition. The physician will review your biopsy results, imaging and other medical conditions.

YOUR TEAM

Lung cancer treatment with the Radixact System involves a multi-disciplinary team approach, which may include several specialists:

Thoracic Surgeon
Radiation Oncologist
Pneumologist
Medical Physicist
Radiation Therapist
Medical Support Staff

IMPLANTING FIDUCIALS

Some tumors may require the placement of fiducials within the lung. Fiducials are markers that show on x-ray to help the Radixact System pinpoint the tumor’s exact location. They are implanted in a short, minimally invasive outpatient procedure prior to treatment planning.

PREPARING FOR TREATMENT

Prior to Radixact treatment, you then will undergo imaging scans so that your treatment team can determine the exact size, shape and location of your lung tumor, as well as nearby anatomy.

TREATMENT PLAN

Following this preparatory visit, you could return for specific imaging for radiation therapy treatment planning. Using CT, MRI and/or PET scan data, your treatment team will determine the area to be targeted by radiation, the radiation dose, and identify critical structures – such as the heart – where radiation should be minimized.

The medical physicist will then calculate a precision-optimized delivery plan, leveraging the Radixact System’s sophisticated treatment planning algorithms to help deliver a safe and personalized treatment.

TREATMENT

Approximately one to two weeks after your treatment plan is finalized, you will begin treatment sessions. Treatment sessions are non-invasive outpatient procedures, and nothing will be required of you during treatment. No patient restraints. No inefficient gating techniques. No anesthesia.

On each treatment day, you will be carefully positioned on the treatment couch. The Radixact System acts as both a CT scanner and treatment delivery machine. This unique combination enables doctors to take a CT scan immediately before each treatment. With that image, they can verify the position of the tumor and, if necessary, adjust your position to help make sure radiation is delivered with high precision.

Once the short imaging procedure is complete, treatment delivery will begin. As the Radixact patient couch moves you at a deliberate pace through the center of the gantry, radiation beamlets are delivered precisely to the treatment area from 360 degrees. If the Synchrony^® technology* is used to synchronize and adapt the beams to your breathing and tumor motion, you will undergo a short procedure between imaging and treatment delivery to create a breathing model that will help predict your breathing cycle.

You can expect your Radixact treatment to require daily sessions for one to several weeks. Because the Radixact System can deliver radiation continuously, without requiring interruptions to reposition, the entire treatment process typically lasts 10-20 minutes — including patient set-up time.

*The Synchrony technology is an optional upgrade available for purchase by hospitals.

POST-TREATMENT

The majority of patients can continue normal activity during and immediately following treatment. Most patients experience minimal side effects and can quickly return to their daily routines with little interruption to their normal activities during or following their treatment.

Your medical team will discuss all possible side effects prior to treatment and may prescribe medication to control any side effects, should they occur. You also should schedule and attend any follow-up appointments.