With HyperArc , which Varian Medical Systems tested and partly developed in collaboration with UAB , clinicians can deliver more compact radiation doses that closely conform to the size , shape and location of brain cancer tumors while sparing more surrounding healthy tissue .
About 20-40 percent of cancer patients will develop brain metastases . More than half of them will have more than one tumor in the brain . The risk of a metastatic brain tumor depends on the kind of cancer and how advanced it is when it is diagnosed . Typically , an increasing number of patients return for retreatment of their disease . “ HyperArc allows us to plan and deliver state-of-the-art radiosurgery to highly complex cases efficiently with a very high degree of dose compactness and conformity , and has made it possible to treat patients with larger numbers of brain metastases very aggressively ,” says John Fiveash , M . D ., professor and vice chair for academic programs in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology . He is also a senior scientist at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center .
“ Initially five radiosurgery patients were treated with HyperArc therapy that first day ,” Dr . Fiveash says . “ Most of these patients had multiple brain metastases . We were impressed with the quality and efficiency of the plan creation and treatment delivery . Patients are excited to be treated in a normal time slot of 15-20 minutes without the requirement of an invasive stereotactic head frame .”
HyperArc contains a prescriptive workflow that includes simulation guidelines , patient immobilization , treatment planning , patient setup , imaging and pre-determined delivery sequence .
“ HyperArc allows us to irradiate multiple tumors at the same time without repositioning the patient , which provides better management of patient movement while saving time for the patient and the clinical team ,” Dr . Fiveash says . “ Basically , HyperArc is designed to enable consistent , high-quality planning and seamless one-click delivery ,” says Richard Popple , Ph . D ., professor and assistant vice chair for Physics in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology . He is also an expert in novel treatment planning techniques and clinical implementation of new technologies and a senior scientist at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center .
HyperArc addresses concerns about complexity , patient safety , cost and human resources that can make radiosurgery inaccessible for many patients and unfeasible for many institutions .
“ Working closely with leading institutions like UAB played an important role in the development of HyperArc ,” says Kolleen Kennedy , president of Varian ’ s Oncology Systems business . “ We value their continued contributions to the advancement of cancer care , and we are excited that HyperArc treatments have now begun in the U . S .”
Planning Through the Workflow
For the past several years , UAB has been working with Varian to bring HyperArc technology to fruition . UAB has been involved with four other institutions in developing optimization tools to enhance the dose and treatment delivery . They developed dedicated algorithms to ensure efficient workflow , and new ways of looking at multiple targets simultaneously , all while reducing the complexity of the planning process for clinicians . In addition , UAB helped devise metrics to use for single and multiple targets that can be customized .
Maximizing Cost and Efficacy
“ We are able to help more patients without the need to invest in additional or new equipment ,” Dr . Popple says . HyperArc capitalizes on the unique capabilities of Varian ’ s TrueBeam™ and EDGE™ treatment systems , which UAB already uses .
“ HyperArc allows us to irradiate multiple tumors at the same time without repositioning the patient , which provides better management of patient movement while saving time for the patient and the clinical team .”
John Fiveash , M . D ., professor and vice chair for academic programs in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology
# K N O W U A B C C C • U A B . E D U / C A N C E R 13