RapidArc — a breakthrough in radiation therapy in Israel

The effectiveness of radiation therapy using RapidArc has increased: the radiation dose affecting the tumour has increased, while side effects have decreased; at the same time, the session time has been reduced by 5 times.

• Applications of RapidArc
• Specific examples of RapidArc application
• How RapidArc works
• Fill out an application

Applications of RapidArc

RapidArc is used to treat various oncological diseases, and the technology has proven particularly effective in the radiotherapy of the following neoplasms:

• Prostate cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Intestinal cancer
• Lung tumours
• Brain tumours
• Spinal cord tumours
• Bladder cancer
• Pancreatic cancer

RapidArc is successfully used in conjunction with chemotherapy: since the side effects of radiation exposure are significantly reduced, cytostatics (chemotherapeutic agents) are tolerated much more easily.

Specific examples of RapidArc application

Treatment of prostate cancer using RapidArc technology allows for the optimal radiation dose (74-76 Gy) to be selected for the tumour while practically sparing healthy tissues from radiation exposure, which is crucial for older patients (as the majority of prostate cancer patients are elderly men) since "excess" radiation often leads to numerous side effects.

Abdominal organs (most of them) have high radiosensitivity, which has both good and bad sides: on one hand, radiation therapy is very effective in treating gastrointestinal oncology; on the other hand, there is a high risk of radiation exposure to healthy tissues and organs. However, the RapidArc technology, due to its uniqueness, allows for the most effective irradiation of the tumour while practically "not affecting" other organs with the beam (for example, when treating pancreatic cancer, the impact on the kidneys is significantly reduced).

Brain and neck tumours are effectively treated using radiation therapy with the RapidArc system. The head and neck area contains tissues and organs: mucous membranes of the oral cavity and larynx, anatomical structures of the brain and spinal cord, salivary glands, etc., which are highly sensitive to radiation, making their incidental irradiation extremely undesirable. With RapidArc, doctors can control the dose and direction of the radiation beam and prevent radiation from affecting healthy tissues. Additionally, since RapidArc technology allows for the treatment session time to be reduced by 5 times, patients with head and neck tumours experience significantly less discomfort from the immobilization mask.

Advantages of RapidArc technology

• Increase in radiation therapy speed by approximately 80% (compared to other equipment).
• Complete correspondence of the delivered radiation dose to the size and shape of the neoplasm (the accuracy of irradiation is identical to that achieved using standard cancer treatment approaches IGRT/IMRT).
• A wide range of positions from which the tumour can be irradiated. In previous generation radiation therapy systems, radiologists have access to a maximum of 10 positions for irradiation. In contrast, RapidArc equipment opens up extensive possibilities for specialists — calculating parameters for any position from 360 degrees. Using a full circle range allows for precise calculation of the final parameters of the radiation beam, distributing the radiation dose according to the volume and shape of the tumour.

How RapidArc works

RapidArc is developed by the American company Varian Medical Systems, which is rightly recognized as one of the world leaders in the production of radiation therapy systems. The RapidArc technology implements two fundamental principles: high speed of the process combined with the rotation of the accelerator, during which other parameters of the beam change. Both of these innovations (in previously created systems, speed and rotation indicators are much lower) gave the technology its name: "RapidArc" translates from English as "fast arc".

RapidArc implies treatment following these principles:

• Visual control of the procedure;
• The ability to modulate the intensity of irradiation (IGRT, IMRT technologies);
• Combined operation of all system nodes, allowing simultaneous changes in irradiation intensity, beam shape, and angular speed of the accelerator's rotation.

Of course, in our time, irradiation with the ability to change intensity during the session is not unusual, but the application of RapidArc technology provides radiologists and patients with undeniable advantages, namely: high precision and variability in directing the radiation beam to the pathological focus; increased treatment intensity (the duration of therapy and the number of sessions are reduced).

During the radiation therapy session using the RapidArc system, the rotation of the linear accelerator leads to changes in the following parameters:

• Intensity of irradiation;
• Shape and size of the beam in cross-section;
• Angular speed of the accelerator's rotation.

Engineers from Varian Medical Systems, who developed the RapidArc radiation therapy system, have given doctors the ability to optimally distribute radiation intensity: the maximum radiation dose reaches the tumour focus, while areas of the neoplasm located at the boundary with healthy tissues receive a less intense dose, resulting in minimal damage to healthy cells.

Using RapidArc increases and slightly complicates the preparatory stage, but the actual radiation therapy sessions are much faster, which not only reduces the degree of discomfort for patients but also increases the daily throughput of cancer patients.

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