Written on April 17, 2024.
Guarantee increasingly precise and less invasive treatments, reducing the number of sessions necessary. The IRST “Dino Amadori” IRCCS Radiotherapy Facility has equipped itself with a new linear accelerator (Linac, Linear Accelerator) which allows the Institute to take advantage of one of the most advanced radiotherapy devices currently on the market. The Linac installed to replace the previous instrumentation, which has now reached the end of its optimal use cycle, in fact, allows better conformation of the radiation beam so as to hit the tumor target very accurately, sparing nearby tissues. The new Linac – acquired thanks to the Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì Foundation – also has a much higher treatment speed than previous technology as the dose it can deliver over the exposure time is greater.
Not only more precise and faster: a new technology, the SGRT (acronym for Surface Guided Radiation Therapy) which reconstructs the patient’s body surface in virtual 3D and monitors it from pre-therapy positioning until the end of the treatment. In this way, in the event of involuntary shifts or movements of the patient, the emission of radiation stops so as to avoid hitting healthy organs. “It is also possible to carry out treatments synchronized with respiratory movements – explains the doctor. Antonino Romeodirector of the IRST Radiotherapy SC – so that the irradiation of the tumor lesion occurs in the most favorable position, far from the most radiosensitive healthy organs. This allows, for example, optimal sparing of cardiac structures during the treatment of breast cancers or in the case of treatments close to the lung area for lymphomas which often concern young patients.” The new Linac, continues Dr. Romeo, “has greater effectiveness even in treatments on small tumors, when high doses of radiation are used with millimetric precision (stereotactic), sparing the surrounding healthy organs as much as possible and reducing side effects to a minimum. Treatment with radiotherapy stereotaxic radiotherapy also involves a significantly lower number of sessions (from 1 to 5) compared to conventional radiotherapy. The use of new technology – concludes the doctor. Romeo – will be able to contribute to reducing treatment delivery times, reducing the overall number of sessions, having better control of the disease and simultaneously saving healthy organs, resulting in fewer side effects for the patient”.
A very important technological upgrade for the unit Radioterapia IRSTfruit of a investment of almost 1.5 million euros, which will allow further implementation especially in terms of effectiveness, speed and quality of care. For the benefit of sick people who turn to the IRST Radiotherapy offices Meldola and Ravenna, every year between 2,000 and 2,500 patients with various oncological pathologies, both with a new diagnosis and with a therapeutic path already underway. Both locations have a dedicated centering CT and, for therapies, Linac and Tomotherapy. The Ravenna facility is also equipped with brachytherapy for treatments from an internal source (small radioactive needles).
“With this new instrumentation we are able to guarantee a further improvement in care for our patients – say Dr. Lorenzo Maffioli (General Director IRST IRCCS) and Dr Maria Teresa Montella (Health Director of IRST) – which even during the period of installation of the new Linac saw the continuity of treatments guaranteed, thanks to an active collaboration between IRST and AUSL Romagna. Between the decommissioning of the old accelerator and the installation of the new Linac, various actions were implemented to reduce waiting times, thanks to the generous commitment of the staff working in the IRST Radiotherapy departments both in Meldola and Ravenna and to the support of AUSL colleagues in headquarters in Rimini”.
Continues Dr. mobsters: “The launch, with full and tangible satisfaction of patients and operators, of the activities of the new Linear Accelerator – LINAC, allows me to highlight a theme dear to me, and to all of IRST: that of co-planning as a model of action. Because there are several actors who have led to this important implementation for the benefit of sick people who turn to the IRST. I have already mentioned patients and professionals, but without the Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì Foundation, one of the most important members and expressions in the area, and not only in the non-profit field, the machinery could not have been purchased. I thank the Presidency of the Foundation in the person of Dr. Maurizio Gardini and the Secretary General, Dr. Andrea Severi who, like us, believe that by combining ideas, sensitivity and investments it is possible to truly do good for the community. It is not just social responsibility but a far-sighted vision that has always characterized the Foundation and which, for those like me who have been here for a few months, strikes and leaves us admired.”
The IRST Meldola Radiotherapy team