b'S U M M E R 2 0 2 1 23Respiratory Motion SystemTreating cancer with radiation2therapy is a complex balance of delivering the appropriate dose of radiation to destroy a tumor, while a\x1e ecting as little of the surrounding Concordhealthy tissue and organs as Hospital possible.Achieving that goal is much more complicated when the tumor is a moving targeta\x1e ected by a patients breathing.Thats why Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer acquired aA respiratory motion sensorWith patients whose lungs are Respiratory Motion Tracking Systemplaced on a patients abdomenalready compromised, every bit of this spring to help ensure radiationduring treatment links the rise andlung tissue is important, Bourg said.is delivered at precisely the correctfall of the chest to the results of the moment as a patient inhalesinternal scans. When the chestAdding the complex system and and exhales. reaches the precise level indicatedacquiring the expertise to use The challenge is knowing whereby the scans, a camera detectsit to bene\x1c t patients involved the tumor is as the patient breathes,an infrared signal from the sensor,Paysons entire Radiation Oncology said Therapy Supervisor Tammytriggering the radiation machine toDepartment, with support from Newell. When is the best time theturn on and o\x1e . Concord Hospitals willingness to machine should be on relative toconstantly improve its cancer care.where the tumor is in the body,Before 4D imaging, cancerThe message is that we want to based on the patients breathing? specialists knew tumors movedtreat the patients the best that we during breathing, but they did notcan and that we are very serious To develop a treatment plan, Paysonknow exactly how much. To accountabout investing in the technology to specialists use sophisticated 4Dfor the movement, treatment plansbe able to do that, Bourg said.CT scanning to de\x1c ne the size andincluded larger targets for radiation, shape of a tumor and map how itwhich meant more healthy tissue moves as a patient breathes. Onewas a\x1e ected.of Paysons medical dosimetrists,The new system allows for more George Bourg, analyzes the scansprecise targeting, especially for with a radiation oncologist and cancancers in the lungs, liver and determine, for example, that thepancreasreducing harm to most e\x1e ective instant for a radiationhealthy tissue.3dose for a certain patient is when the patients lungs are in\x1f ated from 40-to-60 percent. 1Photos courtesy of Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company'