By CHARLENE MACAULAY
AN INNOVATIVE new cancer treatment has come to the West.
Footscray’s Western Radiation Oncology Centre started using Volume Metric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) last week, a state-of-the-art technique that delivers more accurate treatment and cuts down treatment time.
The treatment is most effective on prostate cancer and some head and neck cancers and is delivered via a linear accelerator, which is used in radiotherapy treatment.
The service is available to both public and private patients.
Dr Mario Guerrieri said VMAT had slashed treatment time from 15 minutes to three to four minutes and can reduce side-effects associated with radiotherapy treatment.
“When you target them accurately, it kills the cancer slowly on a day-by-day treatment,” Dr Guerrieri said.
“Linear accelerators have been around for a long time.
“They evolve a bit like a car – it’s evolves over time and a lot of the advances are driven by the software.
“The new technique that we have here is using our existing technology and delivering treatment in a more precise, accurate way, so that we are able to deliver higher doses to the tumour and lower doses to the surrounding normal tissues.
“Even though it’s a little hospital, we’ve got all the state-of-the-art equipment for radiotherapy.”
Hoppers Crossing resident John Ware was two days into 38 days of radiation therapy when he spoke to Star last week, and said the VMAT treatment was quick and pain-free.
The 69-year-old was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June.
“There’s nothing to it,” he said.
“You just lie down and it (the machine) circles around you – there’s no pain or anything.”
