October 17, 2017 — The Trento Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS) and IBA announced the successful completion of the first gated treatment at the Proton Therapy Center in Trento, Italy.
For the first time, the clinical team in Trento completed a gated treatment for a patient affected by unresectable thymoma. They delivered active scanning proton therapy by synchronizing the proton beams with the patient respiratory cycle. This technique was performed through real-time tracking of the patient’s respiratory motion, without any use of physical marker (Vision RT). The technology of Vision RT tracks the patient’s 3-D surface in real time, which enhances patient comfort and safety, and improves the efficiency of the radiation therapy by the clinical team.
GateCT was used to track the patient’s breathing during the computed tomography (CT) scanning and thereby enabling 4-D CT acquisition and reconstruction. The evaluation of the interplay effect for a free-breathing treatment is performed using the different phases of the 4-D CT.
During treatment delivery, accurate gating was ensured, allowing automatic beam hold when the breathing amplitude was higher than the one measured during the 4DCT scan.
Maurizio Amichetti, M.D., clinical director of the Proton Therapy Center, commented: “This is a big step towards the full implementation of moving-target treatments with pencil beam scanning in our center. The moving-target project team leaders, Dr. Francesco Dionisi and Dr. Francesco Fracchiolla reported impressive results in terms of treatment feasibility and efficacy. We are really proud to improve every day with the goal of translating research projects in a clinical benefit for our patients.”
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