A36-year-old woman lung cancer patient has become the first person in Switzerland to be treated using a highly-targeted radiotherapy technique called extra-cranial stereotactic radiotherapy.
Dr Léon André, medical physicist at the private Lindenhofspital, reported that the tumour has shrunk as a result of the treatment and the patient is now recovering well. The treatment took place using a Varian Clinac 23EX linear accelerator with a 120-leaf MLC (multileaf collimator) to enable clinicians to narrow down the beam to millimeter accuracy, thereby reducing the risk of side effects.
“Surgery was not an option for this patient because her other lung had been removed a year ago,” said Dr. André. “A new tumour appeared on her remaining lung and we decided that the best option would be to deliver three high-dose stereotactic treatments over a ten-day period.
We are very pleased with the way the patient has responded to this new stereotactic treatment.” Stereotactic radiation therapy treatment is often used for cranial tumours but recent advances in real-time imaging equipment and beam-shaping devices have broadened its use to the rest of the body.
