El Camino Hospital to Offer Calypso 4-D Localization System

July 21, 2017 — El Camino Hospital (Mountain View, Calif.) announced the installation of a new Calypso 4-D Localization System and will soon be able to treat patients with certain soft tissue cancers using this precise radiation technology.

The Calypso system is a radiation therapy treatment device that allows for real-time tracking of tumors as they move within a patient’s soft tissues. It has been in use for a decade to treat prostate cancer, however it was only recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use against other soft tissue cancers, such as pancreatic, breast, liver, lung, gynecological and more. El Camino Hospital will be the first hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area to expand the Calypso’s use to other cancer sites.

“Our biggest challenge as radiation oncologists is that our targets, the tumors, in the body move,” said Robert Sinha, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology at El Camino Hospital. “The only equipment that allows you to track that movement continuously is the Calypso system. By using its precise tracking technology, we can confidently keep the radiation beam on the tumor and therefore, irradiate less normal tissue.

“While this process has been well established for use against prostate cancer, its approval for expanded use on other soft tissue cancers is groundbreaking for our patients. Its targeted image guidance will improve the patient experience and allow doctors to consistently target only tumor tissue, reducing the side effects of radiation therapy,” he added.

The new device was funded by the El Camino Hospital Foundation. In addition to the Calypso system, El Camino Hospital oncologists have access to radiation therapy technology that includes the CyberKnife, RapidArc, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), brachytherapy and more. The Cancer Center at El Camino Hospital offers numerous radiation treatment options and works with each patient to create a unique plan that will work best for them.

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