Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital has started using an advanced radiotherapy system to treat cancer faster and with greater precision.
The Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic machine delivers an external beam radiation therapy that combines high-speed, thermal surface-tracking technology with advanced x-ray monitoring to target problem cells more precisely.
It is used to treat brain tumours, neck tumours, lung tumours, prostate cancers, spinal cord metastases and liver metastases.
PA Hospital has previously used models of Brainlab ExacTrac machines in their oncology wards, but this is the first dynamic model in the Asia-Pacific region.
The main difference is the new machine's ability to combine thermal surface tracking with x-ray monitoring in one treatment.
PA's director of radiation oncology Margot Lehman said the new machine would cater to about 400 patients a year and improve their post-treatment quality of life.
"We're improving chances of cure while minimising long-term side effects," Dr Lehman said.
PA radiation therapist Elizabeth Brown said the increased precision meant a reduced number of treatments and shorter appointment times for patients.
"This new technology is faster, which means they're not having to be on the bed for as long as they previously were," she said.
The 3D-camera technology provides oncologists with thousands of reference points on a patient's skin, enabling the delivery of a higher radiation dose that is more focused and has much lower impact on vital organs and tissue surrounding tumours.
'Much more precise'
For 71-year-old cancer patient Ian Clarke, the new technology meant doctors could treat the cancer behind his ear without affecting his hearing.
"My hearing was a bit dull so this is going to fix that up — and my talking and walking too," Mr Clarke said.
Mr Clarke is the first person to be treated with the new machine.
His wife Zandra Clarke said the family was "quite excited".
"We're pleased that he's going to have the best [treatment]," she said.
Ms Brown said the new machine reduced radiation treatments from 30 to 20 minutes.
"The shorter the treatment time the less chance they have to move, which is a bit of an enemy when we're trying to treat so precisely," she said.
"Just being able to see exactly where we're treating enables us to be much more precise in a much more efficient fashion."
Brainlab's application consultant Jessica Turley said the machine's accuracy allowed therapists to escalate the doses of radiation, meaning patients would not need to have as many treatments.
"The sub-millimetre accuracy means we can track 0.1 of a millimetre of any movement," Ms Turley said.
If a patient moves, no matter how slightly, the machine can detect the movement and adjust accordingly, avoiding damage to the surrounding tissue.
Ms Turley said there were only 30 of the machines operating globally, mostly across Europe and the United States.
"There are other surface-tracking technologies in Australia but not one that is completely incorporated with internal imagery and x-rays as well as thermal information," she said.
Mr Clarke said he hoped being treated with the new technology meant he could get back to fishing and golfing sooner.
"I'm very confident [I can] get back to doing whatever I want to do," he said.
