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Radiation therapy is a vital component of breast cancer management, either instead of,
or following mastectomy.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has been a leading innovator of techniques designed
to enhance targeting accuracy and reduce normal tissue toxicity.
The Helical Tomotherapy is another such innovation. It combines the features of a linear accelerator
with a spiral CT scanner and allows us to image the tumor before treatment each day
and to make adjustments for internal organ movement that previously could not be seen.
As the patient travels through the scanner, computers adjust intensity, the shape of the
therapy X-Ray machine as it rotates around the tumor. It allows us to pinpoint highly
the tumor itself and spare normal tissues.
For breast cancer patients there is an added benefit. If necessary, we can treat the lymph
nodes of both ***, and we can treat the boost simultaneously, thus reducing the overall
treatment time, the number of treatments and the toxicity associated with treatment.