UAB is the only facility in the state – and was one of the first 10 in the world – to have a Tomotherapy system. Tomotherapy provides three-dimensional imaging of tumors immediately prior to treatments. It allows physicians to know the exact size, shape and location of tumors and send highly targeted radiation beams to that site only, helping leave healthy surrounding tissue intact, in much the same manner as Gamma Knife radiosurgery. It is an “Image-Guided Radiation Therapy” system, which is the most advanced radiation system available.
Tomotherapy’s instant analysis allows the treatment team to determine if a tumor has shifted or changed shape since previous treatments, further refining accuracy and significantly sparing healthy tissue. The Tomotherapy system can take scans and treat the patient at the same time. After it takes an image of the patient, it overlays that image onto the original scans from the planning stages, then compares the two sets and makes adjustments in seconds. So, planning, positioning and delivery may all be performed in a single session, significantly decreasing treatment times.