Rapid Radiation

Undergoing radiation therapy can be a weary process for cancer patients.

There are daily, weekday trips to therapy for six to eight weeks. Patients can become fatigued and often have to cope with side effects of treatment.

During visits, they must lie perfectly still inside a linear accelerator that directs beams of radiation to zap tumors. The treatment typically takes about 20 minutes plus time for radiation therapists to set up everything.

Now new technology called RapidArc is reducing treatment to about 5 minutes or less. St. Dominic Hospital has offered it since April.

"This was for patient comfort," said Mechale Mayfield, St. Dominic Cancer Center director. For now, St. Dominic treats cancers of the prostate and pelvis areas with RapidArc. By the end of the summer, it will treat head and neck cancers and eventually will treat lung and breast cancers with RapidArc.

"With any treatment modality, we kind of start out with one area and perfect it, then move on to others," Mayfield said.

Varian Medical Systems developed RapidArc, an advanced form of image-guided, intensity-modulated, radiation therapy. It treats tumors the same way, only faster and without exposing as much healthy tissue to radiation.

Radiation breaks down healthy tissue, Mayfield explained. "That's why through the years radiation has gone to treating more than just straight on or four different areas. Sometimes we treat nine different areas," she said.

With the conventional method, the radiation beams start and stop as they circle a patient's body to adjust and readjust to angles.

RapidArc "modulates actual beams so it is shaped exactly like the tumor and as it rotates around the body it changes. Well, actually the machine adjusts to the shape (of the tumor) as it moves," Mayfield said. "It is unbelievable to see."

William Cannon, 72, of Brandon is one of the first prostate cancer patients at St. Dominic to experience RapidArc. He's had 22 treatments with the conventional method and 11 treatments with RapidArc.

Before the faster treatments became available, his wife would do a crossword puzzle to pass time in the waiting area. Not any more.

"Well, she only got two answers, and here I was coming out," Cannon said laughing.

"Before they would do it in 10 stages if you will. I think I counted. They'd shoot me, move it a little. Shoot me, move it a little. Shoot me. It moved around the body."

RapidArc eliminates the starting and stopping and provides radiation continuously. Cannon said his time on the table is cut in half, and it now takes longer to set up the machine than to receive treatment. His treatments last about 2 minutes.

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt a bit. This is faster," he said.

Cannon was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006 and had laparoscopic surgery to treat it.

Cancer runs in his family. His mother and older sister both had breast cancer. But he recalls his sister developing something like a rash after her treatment.

"I haven't had anything like that," Cannon said.

"That's because you were able to spare the tissue - the actual skin on the outside of the body," Mayfield said.

Earlier this year a PSA - prostate-specific antigen - screening showed elevated levels in Cannon's blood.

PSA screenings catch cancer early, which helped to ensure Cannon was a good candidate for RapidArc treatment. All cancer patients are not.

"It depends on the physician's discretion," said Veeresh Michael, medical physicist at the Cancer Center. "Certain stages (of cancer) and sizes (of tumors) are not beneficial."

Michael's job is to ensure treatment plans for the eight to 10 prostate cancer patients eligible for RapidArc are carried out per physicians' orders. He also monitors overall quality control of the system.

He agrees patient comfort is a plus with RapidArc and adds that not having to lie down for long periods during treatment yields better results.

"It's a hard flat table and uncomfortable for a lot of patients. They must lie still. A lot of patients wiggle around and their treatment can be compromised."

Faster treatment also allows for improved flexibility with appointment schedules.

"Before this new technology, we could only treat a small number of patients in specific time slots," Mayfield said.

RapidArc treatment doesn't cost patients more, and it's usually covered by insurance.

Cannon, who stays active by walking with his wife after leaving the center, just appreciates the ease of treatment overall.

"I've always heard of people taking radiation therapy. 'Oh my gosh. What is this?' Well it's nothing so far as I'm concerned."