Halifax Health's Charles L. and Miki N. Grant Cancer Center for Hope has become the first in the UK to treat cancer patients using the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold⢠technology. This innovative system, located at the Cancer Center for Hope in Port Orange, offers advanced patient positioning capabilities, enhancing precision in radiation delivery and making it easier to administer fast and effective radiotherapy treatments.
The VitalHold feature, a key component of the Radixact System, provides a robust resource for accurate patient positioning and continuous monitoring throughout their treatment. This ensures the precision needed to deliver targeted radiation therapy effectively. Alongside VitalHold, the Halifax Health system incorporates Accuray's proprietary ClearRT® helical CT imaging and Synchrony® real-time adaptive delivery technologies. This comprehensive radiotherapy delivery system, coupled with VitalHold, is designed to facilitate the treatment of a wider range of cancers, including breast cancer, with greater speed and reduced harm to patients.
Suzanne Winter, President and CEO of Accuray, highlighted the importance of advanced technology in the face of growing cancer cases. "With the estimated number of new cancer cases in the UK anticipated to increase by about 35% between 2022 and 2040, it's crucial that medical teams have the resources to provide the best possible care. The Radixact System offers certainty throughout the treatment process, from simulation to radiation delivery, facilitating high-quality cancer care today and providing a platform for future innovation," she stated.
Winter continued, "We are proud to partner with the Halifax Health team as they continue to advance patient-centred cancer care in Volusia County. Their treatment of the first patients in the UK using VitalHold on the Radixact System demonstrates their commitment to investing in options for care that have the potential to significantly improve the lives of their patients."
The VitalHold feature integrates a fully automated surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) solution, Catalyst+ HD from C-RAD, onto the Radixact System. This integration offers several benefits for both medical teams and patients. SGRT technology supports high-accuracy positioning by scanning a patient's body surface with a high-resolution camera and reconstructing it as a 3D image in real-time. This reconstructed image allows clinicians to easily visualise the difference between the patient's current body position and the target position, ensuring high reproducibility of patient positioning during treatment.
Furthermore, VitalHold enables deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) treatments on the Radixact System. During DIBH treatments, the patient takes a deep breath, which moves the heart away from the chest wall and the targeted tumour. This helps minimise radiation exposure to organs at risk (OARs) and reduce associated complications later in life. VitalHold DIBH treatments utilise SGRT to confirm the patient is correctly positioned for radiation delivery. This technology also supports tattoo-free positioning, eliminating the need for permanent markers on the patient's skin to align them before radiation treatment. Tattoo-free treatments enhance patient comfort and potentially improve cosmetic results.
"As the first and only centre in the UK to treat cancer using the Radixact System and VitalHold, we are demonstrating our commitment to providing the highest level of care to the people in our community," said Jeff Feasel, President and CEO of Halifax Health. "The full-featured Radixact® System equips us with the tools to think differently about how we use radiation therapy in our practice. Moving forward, we will continue to lengthen and improve the quality of patients' lives, making it possible to alleviate some of the fear associated with a cancer diagnosis."
"We are delighted that the VitalHold solution has been chosen by the Halifax Health team. Equipping their Radixact® System with SGRT will support them in serving the Volusia County community with cutting-edge cancer care. VitalHold⢠is a powerful tool in enhancing precision in radiation delivery, providing advanced patient positioning capabilities. We are honoured that the first patient has successfully been treated and congratulate the Halifax Health team on this milestone," said Cecilia de Leeuw, CEO of C-RAD.
Halifax Health, recognised as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals⢠in the United States by IBM Watson Healthâ¢, serves Volusia and Flagler counties, providing a comprehensive range of healthcare services. Their network includes a tertiary hospital, two community hospitals, an urgent care network, psychiatric services, a cancer treatment centre with five outreach locations, the area's largest hospice, a centre for inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, primary care walk-in clinics, a clinic specializing in women's health, a pediatric care community clinic, three children's medical practices, a home health care agency, and an exclusive provider organisation. Halifax Health also boasts the area's only Level II Trauma Center, Center for Transplant Services, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Emergency Department with board-certified pediatricians on staff 24/7, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Services, OB Emergency Department, and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for babies born earlier than 28 weeks. It is also the area's longest-standing Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) offering complete Neurosurgical Services.
This breakthrough in cancer treatment technology at Halifax Health signifies a significant step forward in the fight against cancer in the UK, offering patients access to more precise and effective treatment options.
