Cancer patients in Lebanon now have access to the newly-installed TrueBeam radiotheraphy and radiosurgery system at the Hotel-dieu de France Hospital of the University of St Joseph in Beirut.

The country’s first Varian TrueBeam medical linear accelerator was clinically deployed six months ago and about 75 patients have been treated using the system, said a statement.

Most of these patients have needed treatment for prostate or head and neck cancer, although doctors at HDF have also commenced breast cancer treatments using respiratory gating, where the beam automatically switches on and off in tandem with the patient’s breathing cycle, it said.

The treatments include RapidArc volumetric modulated arc therapy, to help spare the parotid glands from exposure during treatment.

A 24-year-old man with sino-nasal cancer was the first person in Lebanon to be treated on the system.

“We were able to deliver his treatment in just two continuous arcs or rotations of the machine rather than having to stop and start the machine to deliver the treatment beam from different angles,” said Dr Elie Nasr, professor and chairman of HDF.

“The integrated imaging enabled us to carefully align the patient every day and showed us the progress of the treatment as we saw the tumour shrinking over the course of treatment. By sharing this information with the patient we are able to reassure them and increase their commitment to the treatment.”

The department has also introduced a programme of advanced stereotactic radiosurgery treatments using the TrueBeam system for cranial conditions such as acoustic neuromas, brain metastasis, and cavernous sinus meningioma.    

“Until we installed TrueBeam we only offered our patients 3D conformal treatments but we are now able to routinely offer RapidArc image-guided VMAT treatments for all prostate cancer patients. This technique delivers high quality treatment plans while keeping treatment time to a minimum, which translates into short treatment times for patients.”

Designed to treat a moving tumor with speed and accuracy, the system incorporates numerous technical innovations that dynamically synchronise imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery during a radiotherapy or radiosurgery procedure, said the statement.

TrueBeam has been designed to advance the treatment of lung, breast, intracranial, prostate, head and neck, and other types of cancer, it added. - TradeArabia News Service