MD Anderson installs first TomoHD System in Florida

 Published on June 13, 2012  Cancer patients in the Southeast now have access to the world's most advanced radiation treatment system. MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando has installed the first TomoHD™ System in Florida.  Unlike traditional radiation therapy devices, the TomoHD System combines fully integrated CT imaging and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) on a CT scanner platform. Each daily treatment includes a 3D image of the patient's anatomy to ensure highly accurate radiation delivery. This provides clinicians unprecedented confidence that tumors will receive their intended dosage from one day to the next.  A major difference with the TomoHD System is the way that radiation is delivered to the treatment area. The radiation beam is divided into thousands of tiny "beamlets" all aiming at the tumor during multiple 360 degree rotations around the patient. The treatment dose conforms to the tumor and avoids critical organs, which can mean improved outcomes, fewer side effects and a higher quality of life for the patient.  MD Anderson - Orlando has a history of being on the cutting edge of TomoTherapy radiation treatment. In 2003, the hospital became the second site in the world to receive the first generation TomoTherapy System (the Hi-Art® System) which helped the center advance the field of radiation therapy delivery worldwide. Since 2003, more than three million treatments have been delivered to nearly 200,000 patients around the world.  "We have continually been a leader in delivering the most accurate and individualized TomoTherapy treatments and we are thrilled to have this state-of-the-art technology available to our patients," said Mark Roh, MD, President, MD Anderson Orlando. "Our new TomoHD System will not only provide the highest quality of radiation treatment to our patients battling complex cancers it will also be a tool for our oncologists to educate clinicians on best practice TomoTherapy treatment techniques for patients worldwide."