TrueBeam™ STx system
The new TrueBeam STx system from Varian Medical Systems is an advanced radiosurgery solution for treating cancer. A game-changing leap in innovation, it performs many different treatment techniques such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). With its power and flexibility, clinicians can now develop treatments that are best suited for patients’ individual circumstances.
How does it work?
TrueBeam STx combines imaging, sophisticated and powerful beam delivery and advanced motion management to perform radiosurgery with great precision and speed.
Here are some quick facts:
- TrueBeam STx rotates around the patient to deliver a prescribed radiation dose from nearly any angle.
- Precision is measured in increments of less than a millimeter.
- A high-definition multileaf collimator (or MLC) is what shapes the beam. It has 120 computer-controlled “leaves” or “fingers” that create apertures of different shapes and sizes. The leaves sculpt the beam to match the 3-D shape of the tumor. These can move and change during treatment to target the tumor and minimize dose to the surrounding healthy tissue.
- TrueBeam STx’s additional functionality provides for the acquisition of a cone-beam CT, a form of CT, using 25% less X-ray dose than compared with earlier Varian image-guided technologies. This means patients can be exposed to less X-rays/radiation.
- Real-time imaging tools allow clinicians to “see” the tumor they are about to treat. This gives them confidence, and they can target tumors with accuracy measured in millimeters.
- The system includes a new “gated” option for synchronizing beam delivery with respiration. This helps maintain accuracy as the system changes its targeting whenever tumor motion is an issue, for example during lung cancer treatments.
- A patented High-Intensity Mode can deliver dose rates that are twice as fast as the current technologies
Overview
Radiosurgery can be the treatment of choice for certain cancers. The TrueBeam STx system is the latest in advanced radiosurgery technology from Varian Medical Systems. Redefining radiosurgery, TrueBeam STx is a technological leap forward. Performing a host of treatment techniques such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), its power, accuracy and speed set it ahead of more conventional treatments.
Numerous features, like a High-Intensity Mode, multiple energy levels, high-definition beam shaping and very sophisticated imaging and motion management systems give clinicians game-changing tools to design optimal treatments for their patients. In fact, TrueBeam STx opens the door to new possibilities to treat cancer cases in the brain, lung, liver, pancreas and spine.
Beyond its impressive technical achievements, TrueBeam STx was designed with many features that enhance patient comfort and improve the overall patient experience. With shorter treatment times and quieter operation, TrueBeam STx provides for a comfortable environment for patients. Enhanced communication technology enables a constant interaction between the patient and the therapist who operates the equipment. Three closed-circuit television systems enable the therapist to monitor the patient at all times. Music can be played during treatment, helping to increase patient comfort.
For Patients
The TrueBeam™ STx system from Varian Medical Systems is a powerful noninvasive radiosurgery system that opens up treatment options for some of the most complex cancers in areas such as the lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, brain and spine. TrueBeam STx technology was developed from its inception to deliver cancer treatments with pinpoint accuracy and precision.
It works by choreographing highly sophisticated systems—imaging, beam delivery and motion control. These allow your clinician to “see” the tumor they are about to treat and apply very accurate and precise beams of radiation to it while compensating for your movement. TrueBeam STx is fast and powerful, with most treatments lasting only a few minutes.
TrueBeam STx enables many different types of radiosurgery, so doctors can choose the best form of treatment for your particular cancer. The system performs both stereotactic body radiotherapy (also known as SBRT) for treatments throughout the body and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for treatments in the brain or central nervous system.
TrueBeam STx was also designed with your comfort in mind. You can be in constant contact with the therapist running the system, thanks to an enhanced communications system that enables constant interaction between you and the therapist. It’s almost as if they are there in the treatment room with you. Music can be played during the treatment, which can help create a more soothing treatment environment.
In short:
- TrueBeam STx gives medical professionals the tools to treat more challenging cancers such as cancers of the brain, spine, lung, liver, pancreas and prostate.
- TrueBeam STx is fast and precise. A complex radiosurgery treatment that typically takes 30 to 60 minutes can be completed in just 5 to 20 minutes.
- With advanced imaging, the TrueBeam STx system allows clinicians to deliver treatment accurately by enabling them to “see” the tumor they treat and target tumors with submillimeter accuracy.
- Enhanced motion-management tools synchronize beam delivery with the tumor motion that occurs as you breathe in and out.
- TrueBeam STx was developed with an emphasis on your comfort.
TrueBeam STx radiosurgery is not appropriate for all cancers. Serious side effects, including fatigue and skin irritation, can occur. Treatment times may vary. Ask your doctor if TrueBeam STx treatment is right for you.