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Comparing radiation equipment: Truebeam vs. IX 3

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Posted 10/17/2018 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
I am comparing cancer centers (Sloan and MD Anderson) for my upcoming salvage radiation treatments. Doctors aside at this point (I've met with Sloan's RO but not yet with MD Anderson), I am trying to determine who has the better machine and my Google search came up with nothing. I am hoping someone here might be of help. Sloan has a Varian IX 3 and MD Anderson has a new Varian Truebeam. Is one any better than the other for SRT?
Posted 10/17/2018 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
All the modern machines by the mainstream producers will get the job done equally well. What you should be shopping are the drivers. The radiation oncologist and extensive team of physicists, dosemetrists, and technicians are the key. Go where they treat the most patients like you getting the best results. Like with Uber....it is the driver, not the car.
Posted 10/17/2018 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
The skill and knowledge of the RO is much more important. Varian constantly updates their machines in the field so often there isn't much difference between types. The TrueBeam and RapidArc are basic industry standards at the moment. I did a quick look at the Varian web site and as far as I can tell, the IX 3 is just a repackaging of earlier machines to combine RapidArc (their base technology) along with other features such as SBRT, IMRT and IGRT into one package.

Honestly - I doubt it's a better machine, just marketing the old stuff in a new package.

Andrew
Posted 10/17/2018 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
My RO used Elekta, another major brand, and it sure worked for me. If you read their marketing information they trounce the Varian machines. Comparing these machines is like comparing Mercedes, BMW, Lexus......They are all of the highest quality and get the job done on an equal basis. If Varian was the singular best, it would be the only.

Again, and as Andrew noted, concentrate on the drivers of the machine........ and your convenience. Where are these centers located compared to work, home and play? Find the center of high quality and convenience. What are the hours? Can you get the time you want? And so on. For me, the center was at one of the exits of the highway I travel daily for my work commute. I asked for 6:00 am so I could get zapped on the way to work, but it was taken. So I asked for 6:30 pm on the way home from work. Bingo, got it. Very convenient and cost me only 30 minutes a day for 25 days to get treated. No interruption to my life whatsoever.

Here is an interesting video regarding LINAC function. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSgnWfbEx1A Entitled How a Linear Accelerator Works HD
Posted 10/17/2018 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Work is a little slow today and I found another interesting youtube video explaining how radiotherapy works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgAi4wQLqZ0

Now where is that popcorn?
Posted 10/17/2018 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
Be sure to check with your insurance company as to which provider THEY prefer and avoid a nasty surprise later on as the weekly bills start rolling in.....Get a pre-approval before you get on the treatment table..
Posted 10/17/2018 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Paul, I’m currently being treated at Sloan Kettering. On a Varian TrueBeam. They have multiple floors of machines, I know of at least two floors where patients are treated, so they probably have a number if different machines. They treat 40 people a day on each machine.
Posted 10/18/2018 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
I made my choice based on location, doctor, reviews with other patients, and insurance coverage. Never asked about the machine, other than knowing it was new, as it was a newly constructed center with staff from a large practice I was familiar with.
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