True Beam - Linear Accelerator

TrueBeam radiotherapy system:

The TrueBeam radiotherapy system is an advanced medical linear accelerator which is fully-integrated for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery. It offers great flexibility to deliver highly precise radiation treatment anywhere in the body including head and neck, brain, breast, lung, esophagus, prostate and cervix. 

Depending on the type and stage of the cancer, clinician may suggest one of the following treatments on the TrueBeam:

• Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
• Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
• RapidArc radiotherapy
• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)
• Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT)
• Deep Inspiration breath holding radiotherapy (DIBH)
• Prone breast radiotherapy

TrueBeam allows pinpoint positioning, high-quality CT imaging and 360-degree rotational features. Because the system can rotate around the patient, it can deliver prescribed radiation doses from any angle. Its real-time, three-dimensional CT imaging tools allow clinicians to “see” the tumor as they treat it and to sculpt the beams to match the tumor's size and shape.

By shaping radiation beams and locating treatment site by high quality CT imaging during the treatment, the TrueBeam system can achieve better accuracy in practically all treatments. With very high dose rate beams, the TrueBeam system may also reduce the treatment times.

The machine also includes a ‘6 Degree of Freedom’ couch. This makes your treatment more comfortable and allows uninterrupted treatment, even if you move.

Advantages of TrueBeam radiotherapy:

• Faster treatment, which means better comfort and less chance of patient movement during treatment session. Treatments that once took 25 to 30 minutes can now be completed in less than 5-10 minutes.
• Shorter courses of radiation treatment- allow radiation oncologists to deliver higher, more precise doses per treatment, which may reduce overall treatment time — sometimes from weeks to days. 
• Precision: The TrueBeam system generates three-dimensional images used to fine-tune tumor targeting and ensure that the most precise patient position is achieved prior to and during the treatment process.
• Increased accuracy – can target tumors in increments of less than a millimeter which protect healthy tissue and organs.
• Enhanced efficiency – During stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) procedures, TrueBeam can deliver more powerful and more accurate doses of radiation in very short (1 to 5) treatment regimens where tumors are, in some instances, entirely eliminated, while not affecting surrounding normal tissues.
• Better overall quality of life.

Side effects:

Radiation therapy side effects depend on which part of your body is being exposed to radiation and how much radiation is used. Most side effects are temporary, can be controlled and generally disappear over time once treatment has ended.

Part of body being treated: Any part

Common side effects:

• Hair loss at treatment site (sometimes permanent), skin irritation at treatment site, fatigue
• Head and neck
• Dry mouth, thickened saliva, difficulty swallowing, sore throat, changes in the way food tastes, nausea, mouth sores, tooth decay
• Chest
• Difficulty swallowing, cough, shortness of breath
• Abdomen
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Pelvis
• Diarrhea, bladder irritation, frequent urination, sexual dysfunction