The ViewRay system, the world’s first and only MRI-guided radiation therapy system, is being used to treat patients at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. The ViewRay system provides a patented combination of simultaneous radiation therapy delivery and continuous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the treatment of cancer.
MRI-guided radiation therapy enables clinicians to see a patient’s internal anatomy in real-time and keep the radiation beams on target when the tumor moves during treatment. One of the initial treatments being delivered on the ViewRay system is stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. SBRT is a type of radiation therapy in which a few very high doses of radiation are delivered to small, well-defined tumors to kill cancer cells while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy organs.
“Treating patients is a key milestone for ViewRay, but more importantly, it marks a significant advance in cancer care,” said Chris A. Raanes, ViewRay president and CEO. “MRI-guided radiation therapy is no longer a research quest; today it has become real and offers physicians a new and powerful weapon for treating cancer.”
An international leader in cancer treatment and research, the Siteman Cancer Center has a rich history of adopting and helping to develop new technology with a focus on improving patient care and outcomes.
“Real-time MR guidance offers a way to treat tumors that move with respiration,” said Jeffrey Bradley, M.D., S. Lee Kling Professor of Radiation Oncology at Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine. “Our physicians and physicists report the ability to see tumors move in real-time during the entire treatment. This helps to ensure that tumor targets are hit and healthy tissue is spared.”
