RapidArc — a breakthrough in radiation therapy in Israel

The effectiveness of radiation therapy using RapidArc has increased: the radiation dose affecting the tumor has increased, while side effects have decreased; at the same time, the session time has been reduced by 5 times.

• Applications of RapidArc
• Specific examples of RapidArc application
• How RapidArc works
• Fill out the application

Applications of RapidArc

RapidArc is used for the treatment of various oncological diseases, particularly effective in the radiotherapy of the following tumors:

• Prostate cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Intestinal cancer
• Lung tumors
• Brain tumors
• Spinal tumors
• Bladder cancer
• Pancreatic cancer

RapidArc is successfully used in conjunction with chemotherapy: since the side effects of radiation exposure are significantly reduced, cytostatics (chemotherapeutic agents) are tolerated much more easily.

Specific examples of RapidArc application

Treatment of prostate cancer using RapidArc technology allows for the optimal radiation dose (74-76 Gy) to be selected for the tumor while practically sparing healthy tissues from radiation exposure, which is crucial for older patients (as most prostate cancer patients are elderly men) since "excess" radiation often leads to numerous side effects.

Abdominal organs (most of them) have high radiosensitivity, which has both good and bad sides: on one hand, radiation therapy is very effective in treating gastrointestinal oncology; on the other hand, there is a high risk of radiation exposure to healthy tissues and organs. However, the RapidArc technology, due to its uniqueness, allows for maximally effective irradiation of the tumor while practically "not affecting" other organs with the beam (for example, when treating pancreatic radiotherapy, the impact on the kidneys is significantly reduced).

Brain and neck tumors are effectively treated through radiation therapy using the RapidArc system. The head and neck area contains tissues and organs: mucous membranes of the oral cavity and larynx, anatomical structures of the brain and spinal cord, salivary glands, etc., which are highly sensitive to radiation, making their incidental exposure highly undesirable. With RapidArc, doctors can control the dose and direction of the radiation beam and prevent radiation from affecting healthy tissues. Additionally, since RapidArc technology allows for the treatment session time to be reduced by 5 times, patients with head and neck tumors experience significantly less discomfort from the immobilization mask.

Advantages of RapidArc technology

• Increase in radiation therapy speed by approximately 80% (compared to other equipment).
• Complete correspondence of the delivered radiation dose to the size and shape of the tumor (the accuracy of irradiation is identical to that achieved using standard cancer treatment approaches IGRT/IMRT).
• A wide range of positions from which the tumor can be irradiated. In previous generation radiation therapy systems, radiologists had access to a maximum of 10 positions for irradiation. In contrast, RapidArc equipment opens up vast possibilities for specialists — calculating parameters for any position from 360 degrees. The use of a full circle range allows for precise calculation of the final radiation beam parameters, distributing the radiation dose according to the volume and shape of the tumor.

How RapidArc works

RapidArc is developed by the American company "Varian Medical Systems", which is rightly recognized as one of the world leaders in the production of radiation therapy systems. The RapidArc technology implements two fundamental principles: high speed of the process combined with the rotation of the accelerator, during which other beam parameters change. Both of these innovations (in previously created systems, speed and rotation rates were much lower) gave the technology its name: "RapidArc" translates from English as "fast arc".

RapidArc implies treatment following these principles:

• Visual control of the procedure;
• Ability to modulate radiation intensity (IGRT, IMRT technologies);
• Combined operation of all system nodes, allowing simultaneous changes in radiation intensity, beam shape, and angular rotation speed of the accelerator.

Of course, in our time, irradiation with the ability to change intensity during the session is not unusual, but the application of RapidArc technology provides radiologists and patients with undeniable advantages, namely: high precision and variability in directing the radiation beam to the pathological focus; increased treatment intensity (the duration of therapy and the number of sessions are reduced).

During the radiation therapy session using the RapidArc system, the rotation of the linear accelerator leads to changes in the following parameters:

• Radiation intensity;
• Shape and size of the beam in cross-section;
• Angular rotation speed of the accelerator itself.

Engineers at "Varian Medical Systems", who developed the RapidArc radiation therapy system, have enabled doctors to optimally distribute radiation intensity: the maximum radiation dose reaches the tumor focus, while areas of the tumor located at the boundary with healthy tissues receive a less intense dose, thereby minimizing damage to healthy cells.

When using RapidArc, the preparatory stage is increased and slightly complicated, but the actual radiation therapy sessions are much faster, which not only reduces the degree of discomfort for patients but also increases the daily throughput of cancer patients.

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