TomoTherapy

TomoTherapy is one of the world’s most advanced radiation treatment systems for the treatment of cancerous tumors, including cancers of the:

• Head and neck
• Prostate
• Liver
• Brain
  
• Spine

This highly sophisticated system provides safe, effective radiation treatment.

TomoHD™

We're the first cancer center in the country to offer the latest version of TomoTherapy, called TomoHD™.

How It Works

TomoHD is more versatile than traditional TomoTherapy. It allows the treatment team to target the tumor in two different ways:

• Helical mode: Tens of thousands of targeted, narrow radiation beamlets rotate 360 degrees around the patient. As the beam rotates, it is constantly adjusted to produce a dose of radiation that’s designed to fit the exact size and shape of the tumor, all while avoiding nearby healthy tissue.
• Direct mode: A stationary beam is delivered at precise angles.

Treatment is based on a carefully customized plan that’s tailored to each patient's unique case. Radiation is delivered painlessly and precisely to the tumor site.

Two Locations to Get Treatment

Once patients receive a treatment plan, they can get TomoHD treatment at either the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center or Culpeper Regional Hospital, where there is a specially synched (or "twinned") TomoHD system.

Our Expertise

At UVA, we have a long history of providing TomoTherapy treatment. We received the 12th Helical TomoTherapy unit worldwide. Our program is led by a team of radiation oncologists, surgeons, physicists, dosimetrists (experts who design radiation therapy plans), radiation therapists and nurses who meet weekly to discuss all patient cases in order to improve patient care.

Our team conducts research to further develop the advancements of TomoTherapy and improve treatment. In one project, we track the movement of lung tumors during breathing, which helps our doctors to adjust the radiation delivery and further reduce the amount of healthy tissue affected by treatment.