Utah Cancer Specialists – Harnessing the Latest Advancements in Oncology Care

The Utah Cancer Specialists Radiation Oncology team is committed to providing the latest and most advanced radiation therapy treatments available at several locations throughout Utah and Idaho.

Radiation Oncology: TrueBeam™ Linear Accelerator

The TrueBeam Linear Accelerator system is an innovative medical technology that enables a radically different approach to treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy. This system was developed from the ground up to deliver powerful cancer treatments with pinpoint accuracy and precision.  . It unlocks new possibilities for addressing challenging cases, including lung, breast, abdomen, head and neck cancers, and others treatable with radiotherapy.

How Does It Work?

TrueBeam combines imaging, beam delivery, and sophisticated motion management to accurately and precisely target tumors with speed.

Quick Facts:

• TrueBeam rotates around the patient to deliver a prescribed radiation dose from nearly any angle. An accessory called a multileaf collimator (or MLC) shapes the beam. It has 120 computer-controlled “leaves” or “fingers” that create apertures of different shapes and sizes. The leaves sculpt the beam to match the 3-D shape of the tumor. These can move and change during treatment to target the tumor and minimize the dose to the surrounding healthy tissue.

• TrueBeam’s additional functionality provides for the acquisition of a cone-beam CT. This means patients can be exposed to fewer X-rays/radiation.

• Real-time imaging tools allow clinicians to “see” the tumor they are about to treat. This gives them confidence, and they can target tumors with accuracy measured in millimeters.

• The system includes a new “gated” option for synchronizing beam delivery with respiration. This helps maintain accuracy as the system changes its targeting whenever tumor motion is an issue, for example during lung cancer treatments.

Treatments that can be performed by TrueBeam include:

• RapidArc (IMRT) (Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy)

• A technique during which doctors vary (or modulate) the amount of radiation that is sent to different parts of your tumor while shaping the beam to match precisely the shape, size, and position of the tumor.

• SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy)

• SRS (Stereotactic Radiation Surgery) 3D external beam radiation

• Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Capability

• Hypofractionated radiotherapy is a treatment approach that shortens the overall duration of a radiotherapy treatment course by delivering fewer treatments but with a higher dose of radiation per daily treatment.

Brandon J. Fisher, DO

C. Leland Rogers, MD

Chase C. Hansen, MD, MBA

Daniel Miller, MD

Douglas Holt, MD

Dustin L. Boothe, MD

Grant K. Hunter, MD

James W. Clarke, MD

John Hayes, MD

R. Jeffery Lee, MD

Robert A. Harris, MD

Thomas B. Skidmore, MD

Vilja Avizonis, MD