TrueBeam Radiotherapy: A Game-Changer in Cancer Care | MyHealthy Decisions

In this Cancer Care issue of MyHealthy Decisions, learn more about how cutting-edge technology, regularly scheduled cancer screenings, clinical trials, and a thorough team can improve cancer treatment outcomes.

Our New Linear Accelerator: The TrueBeam

The Bassett Cancer Institute has installed a sophisticated, next-generation radiotherapy system that greatly expands treatment options for cancer patients. The new linear accelerator, known as the TrueBeam, represents cutting-edge technology that can deliver multiple forms of radiotherapy and treat complex cancers much more quickly.

“Some cancers can be hard to reach and precisely target,” explains Bassett Cancer Institute Chief and Medical Director Alfred Tinger, MD. “The TrueBeam changes that. It is an advanced radiotherapy system with functionality that allows us to treat cancer anywhere in the body as precisely as possible. It offers greater accuracy, speed and comfort for patients. This really is a game-changer in terms of cancer treatment in this region.”

How it Works

The TrueBeam performs accuracy checks every 10 milliseconds during the course of a treatment, and a patient’s time on the table is reduced by 75 percent. For example, rather than a typical treatment time of 25 minutes for a prostate cancer patient, patients can be done in 5 to 6 minutes, a huge difference for men who are best treated with a full bladder.

“Comfort is so crucial in medical care, especially for our cancer patients,” says Dr. Tinger. “This is an investment in them so they can have a better experience, confidence in their treatment and the best opportunity possible for a cure.”

The technology provides image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy to treat and attack many different types of cancers, such as brain metastases or meningiomas; lung, liver, prostate, and pancreatic cancers; and is also capable of precisely treating breast, esophageal, stomach, gynecological and rectal cancers.

Patient Care Benefits

• The new linear accelerator rotates around the patient as it delivers a prescribed radiation dose from nearly any angle.
• Image-guided tumor targeting allows for therapy that is more precise so surrounding healthy tissue is spared.
• The TrueBeam’s speed and functionality also mean patients are exposed to less radiation.
• Shorter treatment times improve patient comfort.
• The advanced motion management feature senses when a patient moves out of range and stops the treatment, enhancing safety.

With the new linear accelerator at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, patients also no longer have to travel long distances to get the advanced cancer care and the technology they need.

“This is a win for us and for our patients,” says Dr. Tinger. “The cancer care team has been at Bassett a long time. They are part of the community, and living here means that we are treating our families, friends and neighbors. We want to provide the best possible care, and this investment gives us a leg up.”