Radiation therapy for cancer is happening faster thanks to a new machine in Kelowna, the first of its kind in Canada.
BC Cancer Kelowna has Canada’s first Ethos-adapted radiotherapy unit, making the treatment process and planning easier and faster.
Radiation treatments take only 30 seconds to 2 minutes on both the old and new Ethos machines, but the new machine exponentially shortens the planning process.
With older machines, radiation treatments are the same every day. For example, if someone’s tumor shrinks, the team of doctors must create a new plan, which can take days to create and implement.
With the new Ethos machine, a new customized plan for each patient is created in 15-20 minutes, and once the day’s radiotherapy is complete, the computer immediately begins creating the next plan.
“Twelve years ago, it would have been unimaginable to have a daily treatment plan,” says senior physical therapist Nathan Becker.
Bachard added that the machine does about 80% of the work and completes the other 20%.
Radiation equipment has been around for quite some time, but this is completely new to the industry.
“older [machines] It’s technology from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and has had a lot of add-ons over time,” Becker said. “This machine was built from the ground up and built to be as streamlined as possible.”
There was a long way to go before BC Cancer Kelowna and other cancer centers around the world used this new technology. The machine received FDA approval in 2020 and was approved by Health Canada about a year ago. Prior to being approved, Kelowna Center was considering purchasing. When the technology was approved by Health Canada, Kelowna was ready to purchase the machine.
The Kelowna center began training on the machines on December 12 and has been treating patients for three weeks now. It’s currently the only clinical device in Canada and the only one in use, but Newfoundland also has a device coming soon, and in Vancouver he’ll be launching it in late 2023 or early 2024. will be equipped with two devices. With hundreds of machines in use in the United States and the technology is still very new, Kelowna Cancer Center is in constant communication with research groups in the United States to develop patient-to-patient machine strategies and techniques, and side effects. We also have 5 machines in European clinics.
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In addition to being able to plan faster and actually get treatment a little faster, patients are also expected to experience fewer side effects with this machine. , less impact on the organs in the process.
“In general, the patient experience should be improved,” said Bachard. “We hope that patients will have fewer side effects and recover faster because they will be able to identify the structures they are trying to protect each day. , it will take a while before we can actually look back and see how our patients have behaved, so we will see that in the next few years. It won’t take long, but in six or 12 months we’ll see how it recovers and if there are any side effects.”
Whether the machine is old or new, the center can treat 30 patients a day, but hopes to be able to treat more patients a day with the nech machine. It’s still new, so it’s too early to judge.
Each year, Kelowna Center sees 2,700 new cancer patients requiring radiation.
This machine is the latest and greatest, but some machines are tailored to different types of cancer, so even older machines are effective at eradicating cancer.
“This is a tool in our arsenal,” said Becker. This is the Ferrari of our therapy machines. “
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When someone comes for treatment, it is a complex process with many moving parts.
“A lot of people are involved,” Yendry said.
Each treatment has at least two radiotherapists, a radiation oncologist, and a medical physicist.
With the new device, patients can go inside and enter the device to verify that their information is correct. A team of doctors will then begin preparing for the radiation. As the radiation continues, the team can control the machines outside, make sure everything is in order, and see and talk to the patient.
Before the machine arrived, the cancer center renovated the place, including adding a back room dedicated to training with the new machine. Each treatment is time-sensitive, so the team performing the surgery stays in place, and the doctor and the learning student can even sit in the back room and watch the process through the camera the doctor is looking at.
“I think the learning curve is pretty fast at the moment,” says Bachard. “We feel strongly that we can contribute to these other centers by introducing new technology.
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