The first of two new Varian linear accelerators is treating patients at the Marin Cancer Institute. The $2.5 million Varian iX was installed in July and is now treating more than half of all radiation therapy cases, according to Dr. Chun Li, the institute’s medical physicist.
The Radiation Therapists named the new machine Xena, Warrior Princess.

“She brings our patients the latest advances in cancer treatment - more radiation beams, higher energies and more capabilities. The treatments are faster and more accurate,” said Li. “We can treat more patients in less time, especially more complicated treatments such as IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy). Xena runs like a dream. We are very impressed with her.“

Linear accelerators contain no radioactive isotope and instead use electricity to generate very high energy radiation beams for cancer treatments.

Xena is equipped with the latest imaging technologies. She captures diagnostic quality digital x-ray pictures of patients through an on-board camera.
“We now have even better guidance tools to achieve higher treatment accuracy,” he said. “We can better target a patient’s tumor during each of their daily treatments. This is ideal for complicated treatment situations.”

The institute will also welcome the $3 million Varian Trilogy System in January, an image-guided radiation therapy system optimized for both conventional and stereotactic approaches to treating cancer.

“The Trilogy is very exciting as well,” Li said. “It has treatment accuracy to within one millimeter.”

Trilogy will bring stereotactic radiation therapy and radiosurgery to Marin. Stereotactic radiation treatments use small highly focused beams to pinpoint high doses of radiation at a tumor. Stereotactic radiosurgery has been able to replace conventional brain surgery for the treatment of small tumors in the brain.

“With Trilogy, we will be able to treat other crucial areas of the body with the same pinpoint precision without compromising surrounding tissue,” said Li. “Our radiation oncologists will work together with neurosurgeons and other members of our outstanding MCI team to deliver this care.”

The Trilogy will arrive with cone-beam CT scan capabilities and radiation beams compatible with Xena.

“With the CT scan technology, MCI staff will be able to adapt radiation treatments to changes in a patient’s tumor and anatomy through the course of their treatment,” he said. “The matching beams of the two new machines will allow patients to be comfortably treated on either unit. All of these advances will take the quality of patient care to the next level.”

The Schultz Foundation, John Brockway Huntingdon Foundation, Wiskemann Family Foundation and individual donors gave over $2 million toward the purchases. A Sept. 5 reception recognized all donors for their support and was hosted by the Marin Community Health Foundation.

Radiation Therapist Joe Hopkins prepares the new Varian iX linear accelerator for a Marin Cancer Institute patient. Staff has affectionately nicknamed the new equipment Xena, Warrior Princess.

24 October 2007