Dr. Alan H. Porter has been working in the field of radiation oncology for more than 40 years. A member of the Physicians Advisory Council and consultant to Medicare-Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, he serves as director of Porter Radiation Oncology in Sarasota, Florida. Through these centers, Dr. Alan H. Porter and his team provide a range of procedures and services to patients, including TomoTherapy, an advanced method of delivering radiation treatment to destroy and damage cancer cells.
TomoTherapy is done by laying a patient on a table that moves through a donut-shaped machine. This machine continuously rotates around the patient in a spiral pattern, administering radiation at varying locations and angles as the bed moves through the machine. Such therapy is ideal for hard-to-reach tumors, such as those next to vital organs, and is frequently used to treat brain, breast, prostate, and head and neck tumors.
Part of why TomoTherapy is so effective for hard-to-reach tumors is its high degree of accuracy. The treatment method combines intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with CT scanning or image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Prior to beginning each treatment, CT scans of the patient’s cancer are taken to confirm the exact location of the tumor and show whether the tumor has changed location or size since the patient’s last treatment.
Based on these CT scans, physicians determine how much radiation is acceptable for the tumor and surrounding tissue. Meanwhile, the machine calculates the correct pattern for treatment according to the position of the tumor and the recommended intensity of radiation.
TomoTherapy is done by laying a patient on a table that moves through a donut-shaped machine. This machine continuously rotates around the patient in a spiral pattern, administering radiation at varying locations and angles as the bed moves through the machine. Such therapy is ideal for hard-to-reach tumors, such as those next to vital organs, and is frequently used to treat brain, breast, prostate, and head and neck tumors.
Part of why TomoTherapy is so effective for hard-to-reach tumors is its high degree of accuracy. The treatment method combines intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with CT scanning or image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Prior to beginning each treatment, CT scans of the patient’s cancer are taken to confirm the exact location of the tumor and show whether the tumor has changed location or size since the patient’s last treatment.
Based on these CT scans, physicians determine how much radiation is acceptable for the tumor and surrounding tissue. Meanwhile, the machine calculates the correct pattern for treatment according to the position of the tumor and the recommended intensity of radiation.
