SRT with Varian Rapidarc Technology Trilogy machine--anyone?

Hi Mel, have not experienced it , but have heard about it, apparently it's all the rage now, even here in Australia. They have been using it for some 12 months or so. As you say, it is more precise, less time on the table, they say about 2-3 mins over a 8 week period. They also boast much less side effects. Think it could be the way to go............Kev

A quick Google search for "rapidarc" provided lots of details.

This is Varian's own website:
www.varian.com/us/oncology/treatments/treatment_techniques/rapidarc/

It would appear that it delivers an infinite number of tiny doses from an infinite number of directions as it rotates through 360 degrees, thus the non-target tissue only receives a tiny fraction of the total dose (Effectively 360 doses from 360 directions delivering 1/360th of the total dose.) This must greatly reduce the amount of dose that goes through any single section of bowel so I can see that the side effects might be much less.

It would also seem to offer a better deal by way of patient comfort (particularly for those with other cancers) as it is faster and you don't have to stay quite so still. I always thought it must be really difficult for the people with cancers in the head/brain who are having their heads clamped to the table in those masks. With Rapidarc it would appear that they don't need to be be clamped in position and that the machine can track any movement of the head, and also do the whole thing must faster anyway.

Having watched the CT scanner revolve around me before my SRT I did wonder during my treatments why the RT couldn't be delivered through 360 degrees as well, so I'm glad it can, even if I missed out. I did ask my rad team about new types of machines: they do have plans, but they mentioned the enormous cost and I think the plan at that unit is to get a proton beam machine. There were however workman installing a new machine down the corridor during my time there so maybe that is going to turn out to be a Rapidarc proton machine
Another major hospital in Amsterdam already has a Rapidarc machine, their have info about in (in English) at:
www.vumc.com/patientcare/1071297/2648155/

The follow-up question is: are there any risks from the extra CT scans needed to guide Rapidarc, or is it just the same as with any image guidance?

Sounds like a great advance.

Alf

I asked my therapist about the equipment and CT aspect - the answer was that yes, they had been briefed on the equipment, it is an incredibly expensive piece of equipment, so likely to be seen as "new" rather than an upgrade. The CT scanner is supposedly a micro-CT that uses a very small amount of radiation in comparison to the standard.

In theory it will be the Latest and greatest.

My SRT was done with the Varian machine.  CT scan and then seven zaps from various positions around the body.  It took longer to get undressed and into a gown than it did for the treatment each day.  My side effects were fatigue (which has gone away) and more frequent trips to the bathroom at night (Hope this will go away also).  My treatment was done at 1100 each morning.  I worked in the morning and again in the afternoon after the treatment.  Towards the end of the treatment period the fatigue did make working later in the afternoon harder.   (90 day PSA was <.1 so it appears to have worked for now.)