New TrueBeam® System Fighting Cancer at Archbold

Archbold has added a new piece of technology to its extensive cancer fighting arsenal — the Varian TrueBeam® System.

The TrueBeam® system has become a new standard of care, recognized by medical professionals nationally for giving them the ability to treat a wide range of cancers in numerous ways, many of which were not possible just a few years ago. Some of advantages to the TrueBeam® system include accurate, fast, non-invasive treatments.

“The main advantages of TrueBeam® are related to what is called SBRT, which stands for stereotactic body radiation therapy,” said Steve Johnson, MD, Archbold radiation oncologist. “With SBRT we are able to treat tumors as small as a half centimeter with focused beams that can precisely pinpoint such tumors. For some patients it can mean fewer treatments, even as few as four or five total treatments instead of the usual 30-plus required for curative treatment.”

The TrueBeam® system rotates around the patient during treatment precisely targeting the tumor from any angle, destroying cancer cells’ ability to reproduce while maximally protecting normal tissues.

“This translates into fewer side effects for the patient,” Johnson said. “The more accurate we can be with the treatment, the less side effects the patient will have and the less potential for long term complications as well.”

“TrueBeam® also has a very sophisticated motion tracking device,” said David Saunders, MD, Archbold radiation oncologist. “As we breathe, tumors can also move up and down. This new technology allows for adjustments or compensations to coincide with tumor movement out of the intended radiation field. It can activate radiation on and off to fit with the tumor’s actions.”

The state-of-the art TrueBeam® system replaces an older linear Accelerator at just over a $3.4 million investment for Archbold.

The Truebeam® system also includes the Varian Identify System, which uses biometric scanning for quick and simple patient identification and positioning to keep patients as comfortable as possible.

“For a town our size to have this advanced technology is a testament to what Archbold has done in supporting the Oncology Center,” Saunders said.