Adaptive Radiation Therapy with Varian Ethos™
Adaptive radiation therapy is a revolutionary form of radiation treatment for cancer. El Camino Health is proud to be the first hospital in California to pioneer this new treatment.
What Is Adaptive Radiation Therapy?
Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide advanced imaging that enables your medical team to modify your treatment in real-time during a therapy session. Using Varian Medical System's EthosTM technology, we can adjust for any changes to the size or position of the tumor as well as any other changes in your body, like weight gain or loss or a filled bladder.
Benefits of Adaptive Radiation Therapy
The ART approach allows for a high level of customization during radiation therapy. Since your medical team can identify the precise size and location of the treatment area during each session, there’s a greater ability to deliver a high dose of radiation to the targeted area while leaving the surrounding healthy tissues untouched. ART requires no incisions and no hospital stays, and most sessions are completed within 15 minutes.
What to Expect During Adaptive Radiation Therapy
Before Treatment
Your medical team takes detailed 3D images to determine the exact shape, size and location of the tumor. This information is used to create your personalized care plan, which details the proper dose of radiation, the best angles to precisely target the tumor and the schedule for your treatment.
During Treatment
To begin treatment, you'll be helped into a comfortable position on the treatment table. Before treatment begins, your medical team will take new images to verify the tumor's exact size and location and make any necessary adjustments. Once adjustments are made, the radiation treatment itself only lasts a few minutes.
A machine, called a linear accelerator (LINAC), rotates around you to deliver a beam of radiation. During treatment, you and your medical team are in continuous contact through a camera and two-way intercom system.
