Our technology

The machines, and why the details matter to you.

Radiation therapy is only as good as the equipment delivering it and the planning behind it. Here is what we treat you on, in plain terms, and what each part of it is actually for.

Under 1mm

The precision the TrueBeam system is measured in

Every 10ms

How often it checks its own accuracy while treating

Respiratory gating, so a tumor that moves as you breathe is still hit

What it means for you

Four things the specification buys.

Treatment where it would otherwise be risky

Accuracy is what makes it possible to treat sensitive places: the abdomen, liver, lung, breast, head and neck. Without it, the tissue beside the target is the limiting factor.

It checks itself, constantly

Imaging, your position, movement, the shape of the beam and the dose are all synchronized, with accuracy checks every ten milliseconds throughout the treatment.

Someone is watching the whole time

Your therapists see you on closed-circuit television at all times and there is two-way audio, so you can talk to them from the table and they can answer.

Quiet, and quick

The machine runs quietly and each treatment takes only a few minutes. Most of your appointment is getting positioned, not being treated.

The equipment

One machine plans your treatment. The other delivers it.

Varian TrueBeam

The linear accelerator that gives the treatment

A linear accelerator produces the beam and aims it. The TrueBeam delivers a high dose with precision measured in increments of less than a millimeter, which is what lets it treat a tumor hard while sparing the healthy tissue and organs around it.

Precision measured under a millimeter
Accuracy checked every ten milliseconds during treatment
Imaging, positioning, motion and dose delivery synchronized
Quiet, with constant two-way communication to your therapists

GE Optima RT CT Simulator

The scanner your treatment is planned on

Before a single beam is delivered, a detailed scan is taken in the exact position you will be treated in. This scanner is built for radiation oncology rather than adapted from a diagnostic one, and the plan is drawn onto its images.

Wide bore, which is easier if you feel closed in
Image quality suited to precision planning, not just diagnosis
4D respiratory gating for targets that move as you breathe
Used to verify your position day to day, not only at the start

In plain words

Why we take pictures before every session.

All external beam radiation depends on knowing exactly where the target is today, not where it was at your planning scan. Bodies are not rigid, and organs do not sit in precisely the same place from one morning to the next.

Prostate treatment is the clearest example. The beam has to be aimed at the prostate, and where the prostate sits on any given day has to be confirmed by imaging before treatment starts. That check is the difference between a plan and a guess.

The same problem in the chest is solved differently. A tumor in the lung moves as you breathe, so the scanner records that movement in four dimensions and the plan accounts for it, rather than treating a larger area to be safe.

Questions

What people ask about the equipment.

Will I be alone in the room?

You are alone in the treatment room, because the staff cannot be exposed to the beam every day. You are not unobserved. Your therapists watch you on closed-circuit television the whole time and there is two-way audio, so you can speak to them from the table and they will answer. If you need to stop, say so and they stop.

Is the machine noisy? Will it touch me?

It runs quietly, and it does not touch you. It moves around you, sometimes close, and you will hear it moving and a hum while the beam is on. You will not feel the treatment itself.

Why do I need a planning scan when I have already had scans?

Because a diagnostic scan answers what and where; a planning scan answers where in the exact position you will be treated in. It is taken on a scanner built for radiation oncology, with you lying the way you will lie every day, and your dose is mapped onto those images. It is not a repeat of a test you have already had.

What is respiratory gating?

A way of dealing with the fact that a tumor in the chest or lung moves as you breathe. Rather than treating a bigger area to be certain of catching it, the scanner records how it moves through the breathing cycle and the plan accounts for that movement.

Is the CT scanner going to feel closed in?

It is a wide-bore scanner, which means the opening is larger than a standard one. It is a short scan and it is open at both ends. If enclosed spaces are a real problem for you, say so before the appointment rather than on the day, because there are things we can do about it.

Does newer equipment actually mean better treatment?

It means the treatment can be aimed more tightly, which matters most when something sensitive sits close to the target. It does not replace the judgement of the person planning it. Equipment sets what is possible; the plan decides what is done.

Patient stories

In their words.

Dr. Lanasa put me at ease immediately and was zeroed on me at each weekly visit during my eight weeks of therapy. His bedside manner is that of a caring and concerned doctor. Staff, like Dr. Lanasa is second to none.

Verified patient Arlington, TX via Vitals, June 2019

Above Excellent. This man spent literally 2 hours, explaining to me my treatment plan. He is an extremely optimistic inspiring and informative physician. Extremely compassionate. We need more Doctors like him. Thank you so much.

Verified patient Fort Worth, TX via Vitals, February 2020

I am so happy I picked Dr. Barker as my husband's doctor. When we learned my husband oral cancer we were shocked and lost about how to start treatment. Dr. Barker was the first doctor we saw and he led us to my husband's surgeon and oncologist. Dr. Barker explained everything to us and answered all our questions. He is the most wonderful doctor. When a family has to go through cancer it make so much easier when you have a doctor like Dr. Barker. He really cares about his patients and their family.

Verified patient Fort Worth, TX via Vitals, March 2013

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