Rapid Arc Therapy
Rapid Arc Therapy (RA Therapy) is an advanced form of radiation therapy used in the treatment of cancer. It falls under the category of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which is a technique that delivers precise radiation doses to tumors while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.
Here’s how Rapid Arc Therapy works:
CT Imaging: Before treatment begins, the patient undergoes a CT scan. This scan helps the oncologist to precisely locate the tumor and surrounding critical structures.
Treatment Planning: Using specialized computer software, radiation oncologists and medical physicists develop a treatment plan tailored to the individual patient. This plan determines the optimal dose and angles of radiation beams to target the tumor while sparing healthy tissues.
Dynamic Arc Therapy: Unlike traditional radiation therapy techniques where the radiation beams are delivered from multiple fixed angles, Rapid Arc Therapy utilizes a rotating gantry that delivers a single, continuous beam of radiation as it rotates around the patient. During this rotation, the intensity of the radiation beam is varied continuously, allowing for highly conformal dose distributions that closely match the shape of the tumor.
Modulated Dose: The intensity of the radiation beam is modulated throughout the treatment session, adjusting in real-time to deliver higher doses to the tumor while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This dynamic modulation is controlled by advanced software algorithms.
Treatment Delivery: The patient lies on a treatment table, and the radiation machine (linear accelerator) delivers the treatment according to the pre-planned trajectory. The entire treatment session typically lasts only a few minutes.
Benefits of Rapid Arc Therapy include shorter treatment times, improved accuracy, and reduced radiation exposure to healthy tissues, leading to fewer side effects. Additionally, the ability to deliver higher doses of radiation to the tumor in a shorter time frame may enhance treatment effectiveness.
Overall, Rapid Arc Therapy represents a significant advancement in radiation oncology, offering a more efficient and precise approach to cancer treatment.