Newswise — Operating under the same tracking principles as a Global Positioning System in your car or cell phone, a GPS for the Body® system is now available at Penn's Department of Radiation Oncology. This system offers cancer patient's real-time tracking of the prostate gland during radiation treatment with IMRT " or intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Penn is the only institution in Philadelphia to offer this new technology.
Called the Calypso® 4D Localization System™, this new technology works just like a GPS tracking system but for the prostate. It allows for continuous monitoring of the prostate gland during treatment. Three miniature electromagnetic sensors " each no bigger than a grain of rice " are implanted into the prostate during a brief outpatient procedure. Called Beacon® transponders, these micro-mini transmitters monitor the position and motion of the prostate in real-time, continuously sending signals to a receiver in the radiation treatment room. Before each treatment, the Calypso® seeks out the "beacons" and helps the technologist to re-align the treatment plan. This system is the only one to offer "real time tracking" which helps improve the accuracy of delivering radiation.
"The Calypso® System is incredibly innovative, efficient, and precise," said Neha Vapiwala, MD, Assistant Professor and Residency Program Director in the Department of Radiology. "And precision is paramount when we're targeting tumors with high doses of radiation therapy. A small organ like the prostate can move significantly during therapy because it is located near the bladder and rectum, two organs that can change in size and location constantly. Being able to track prostate movement in real time allows us to adjust a patient's positioning as necessary so that the target is always in sight. This keeps surrounding healthy tissue and organs " including the bladder and rectum " from receiving more radiation than intended, therefore avoiding unwanted side effects."
As of now, the Calypso® System is only FDA approved for prostate cancer and the first patient was treated this May at Penn. "We plan to expand its use to other sites over time and are very excited to be able to offer such a progressive treatment option to our patients," added Dr. Vapiwala.
PENN Medicine is a $3.5 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn's School of Medicine is currently ranked #3 in the nation in U.S.News & World Report's survey of top research-oriented medical schools; and, according to most recent data from the National Institutes of Health, received over $379 million in NIH research funds in the 2006 fiscal year. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals — its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation's "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S.News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home care and hospice.
The Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania is a national leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. The pre-eminent position of the Cancer Center is reflected in its continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute for 30 years, one of 39 such Centers in the United States. The ACC is dedicated to innovative and compassionate cancer care. The clinical program, comprised of a dedicated staff of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists and patient support specialists, currently sees over 50,000 outpatient visits, 3400 inpatient admissions, and provides over 25,000 chemotherapy treatments, and more than 65,000 radiation treatments annually. Not only is the ACC dedicated to providing state-of-the-art cancer care, the latest forms of cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are available to our patients through clinical themes that developed in the relentless pursuit to eliminate the pain and suffering from cancer. In addition, the ACC is home to the 300 research scientists who work relentlessly to determine the pathogenesis of cancer. Together, the faculty is committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
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