http://www.tomotherapy.com/index.php en Copyright 2010 2010-02-17T21:00:34+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2010_2_17_q4results/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2010_2_17_q4results/#When:21:00:34Z Madison, Wis. – February 17, 2010 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), producer of the Hi·Art® treatment system and other products for advanced radiation therapy, today released financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009. Fourth Quarter Results Fourth quarter 2009 revenue was $58.0 million, a decrease of 33% from $86.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. The company incurred a net loss attributable to shareholders of $3.4 million, or $0.07 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to a net loss of $7.5 million, or $0.15 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2008. Restructuring charges of $1.9 million, or $0.04 per share, are included in the fourth quarter 2009 results, compared to restructuring charges of $1.6 million, or $0.03 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2008. As of December 31, 2009, the company had $154.3 million of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, representing a $7.2 million increase from the prior quarter end and a $0.5 million decrease from December 31, 2008. As of December 31, 2009, the company also had minimal debt and there were no borrowings against the company’s credit facility. As of December 31, 2009, the company had a revenue backlog of $135.8 million, a 3% decrease from the $139.7 million backlog as of September 30, 2009 and a 23% decrease from the $176.0 million backlog as of December 31, 2008. The backlog includes $35.8 million of equipment orders received during the fourth quarter of 2009. No orders were removed from backlog during the fourth quarter. Backlog includes only firm orders that the company believes are likely to ship within the next two years. Backlog does not include any revenue from service contracts, which represents a growing portion of the company’s overall revenue. “Despite a challenging environment, we achieved top- and bottom-line results within our prior guidance, and ended the fourth quarter with a modest increase in cash and investments over the prior quarter end due to working capital improvements,” said Fred Robertson, TomoTherapy’s CEO. “We launched several new products at ASTRO, including the TomoHD™ treatment system and the TomoMobile™ relocatable radiotherapy solution, both of which enhance our platform and are generating strong customer interest. During the quarter we took additional steps to more effectively manage costs across the organization, including a restructuring program that includes an approximate 10% reduction in force. Also, despite a more streamlined infrastructure, we are very pleased to report ongoing improvements in our service organization, with machine uptime increasing to 98.5% during the fourth quarter, a new high, and a number-one ranking in customer service in the fourth quarter according to MD Buyline, a leading provider of market intelligence in the healthcare industry.” Twelve-Month Results For the twelve months ended December 31, 2009, revenue was $164.0 million, a 20% decrease from $204.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008. The company incurred a net loss attributable to shareholders of $37.4 million, or $0.74 per share, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009, compared to a net loss of $33.5 million, or $0.67 per share, for the same period last year. The full year 2009 results included restructuring charges of $1.9 million, or $0.04 per share, compared to restructuring charges of $1.6 million, or $0.03 per share, in 2008. Outlook Management expects 2010 revenue to be comparable to 2009 revenue, with a loss in the range of $0.65 to $0.85 per share. Consistent with prior years, management is not providing specific quarterly guidance at this time. However, similar to 2009, management anticipates that the timing of expected customer deliveries will result in revenues being slightly back-end loaded during 2010. Robertson concluded, “While we are starting to see some improvement in the 2010 market, especially given lower-than-expected Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reductions to reimbursement rates, we are still facing a tough competitive environment and a long sales cycle. Therefore, we expect our 2010 revenue and net loss to be comparable to 2009. However, with our expanded product offering, best-in-class customer support, international growth potential, and more integrated sales and marketing effort, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the growing global radiation therapy market over the longer term. Moreover, we remain committed to providing ‘gold standard’ technology, treatment quality and patient safety, and to that end, maintaining a strong research and development effort focused on bringing new and dynamic solutions to market with a single goal of advancing cancer care.” Investor Conference Call TomoTherapy will conduct a conference call regarding its fourth quarter 2009 results at 5:00 p.m. ET today, February 17, 2010 (4:00 p.m. CT). To hear a live Webcast or replay of the call, visit the Investor Relations page at TomoTherapy.com, where it will be archived for two weeks. To access the call via telephone, dial 1-866-804-6922 from inside the United States or 1-857-350-1668 from outside the United States, and enter pass code 19106554. The replay can be accessed by dialing 1-888-286-8010 from inside the United States or 1-617-801-6888 from outside the United States and entering pass code 75521447. The telephone replay will be available through 10:59 p.m. CT on February 24, 2010. Company News 2010-02-17T21:00:34+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/q42009_earningsdate_announcement/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/q42009_earningsdate_announcement/#When:14:05:00Z MADISON, Wis – February 5, 2010 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for cancer care, announced today that it will release its 2009 fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. CT. TomoTherapy will hold an investment community conference call on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 beginning at 4:00 p.m. CT. Fred Robertson, M.D., CEO, and Thomas Powell, CFO, will review fourth-quarter performance and discuss the company’s strategies. To join the conference call, dial 1-866-804-6922 (international 1-857-350-1668) and enter passcode 19106554. A replay of the conference call will be available at 7:00 p.m. CT on February 17, 2010, through 11:59 p.m. CT on February 24, 2010. To access the replay, dial 1-888-286-8010 (international 1-617-801-6888) and enter passcode 75521447. For individual investors, a live Webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations page of TomoTherapy.com. Institutional investors can access the Webcast through a password-protected site www.streetevents.com. An archived Webcast of TomoTherapy’s conference call will be available for two weeks. Company News 2010-02-05T14:05:00+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2010_2_2_addenbrookes/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2010_2_2_addenbrookes/#When:14:05:32Z MADISON, Wis – February 2, 2010 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO), maker of advanced radiation therapy solutions for cancer care, announced today that Addenbrooke’s Hospital, which is run by the Cambridge University Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, recently installed and began treating patients on its second TomoTherapy® radiation therapy system. “The TomoTherapy platform has proven to be a highly efficient solution for daily image-guided radiotherapy with positional correction, and for the delivery of sophisticated treatment plans using high-quality intensity-modulated radiotherapy,” said Neil Burnet, a consultant oncologist at Addenbrooke’s. “With our second TomoTherapy system now in operation, we are able to offer this extraordinary treatment to more patients, expanding our ability to treat prostate cancer and more complex cases.” In October 2007, Addenbrooke’s Hospital became the first NHS facility in England to install a TomoTherapy treatment system. The hospital selected the TomoTherapy solution because it offered highly precise, image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) in an integrated, easy-to-use package. This combination offers clinical flexibility not available with other radiation therapy systems, such as the ability to deliver more conformal treatments capable of addressing a wider array of patient needs. In addition to Cambridge, TomoTherapySM treatments are currently available within the NHS in Newcastle and will be available shortly in Middlesbrough, Nottingham and London, as well as in the private Bupa Cromwell Hospital, London. “TomoTherapy delivers on its promises,” said Donna Routsis, lead research radiographer at Addenbrooke’s. “Our experience validates that the TomoTherapy system provides superb quality treatment planning and delivery, as well as fast, easy, accurate and integrated, 3D volumetric image guidance. It has increased our confidence and enables us to approach challenging cases that were previously out of reach.” With its first TomoTherapy system, Addenbrooke’s Hospital expanded its cancer care capabilities to treat more than 50 different types of cancers, including cranial and spinal tumors and pediatric cases. In addition, Addenbrooke’s Hospital began accepting referrals from other facilities not equipped to handle complex tumors and neurological cases. The hospital treats, on average, 31 patients per day with its initial TomoTherapy unit. Clinicians improved efficiency of their TomoTherapy treatments with the introduction of a High Performance Couch in April 2009, which shaves minutes off treatment time by loading and unloading patients from the unit with a touch of a button. However, continued growing demand for TomoTherapy treatments resulted in Addenbrooke’s decision to purchase its second system. The second system was used to treat its first patient in January 2010, and the hospital expects that the combination of the two units will enable them to treat more than 60 patients per day. “Addenbrooke’s experience truly showcases the versatility of the TomoTherapy system in treating a wide variety of clinical indications,” said Frederick A. Robertson, M.D., TomoTherapy’s president and CEO. “We are pleased that our system’s ease of use has enabled Addenbrooke’s to achieve tremendous efficiencies while expanding their capabilities to handle cases that range from the common and simple, to the rare and complex.” TomoTherapy technology is developed and manufactured by TomoTherapy Inc. and is supplied in the U.K. by Oncology Systems Limited, based in Shrewsbury, England. Treatment Center News 2010-02-02T14:05:32+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2010_1_11_needham/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2010_1_11_needham/#When:14:28:49Z MADISON, Wis – January 11, 2010 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) today announced that Dr. Fred Robertson, CEO, and Thomas Powell, CFO, will present at the 12th Annual Needham Growth Stock Conference on Thursday, January 14, 2010, at 1:10 p.m., ET. The conference is scheduled for January 12-14 at The New York Palace in New York City, N.Y. A live Webcast of the presentation will be available on the investor relations page of TomoTherapy.com. For those who are unable to listen to the live presentations, archives of the Webcasts will be available on the company’s site for 30 days following the presentation. Company News 2010-01-11T14:28:49+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2009_12_8_doctors/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2009_12_8_doctors/#When:21:00:59Z On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, TomoTherapy was featured on The Doctors, a TV show broadcast nationally in the U.S. The episode featured an explanation of our advanced radiation therapy technology, along with a breast cancer patient’s treatment experience and a doctor’s clinical perspective. Below are links to the segments. The Treatment Process Dawn, 42, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. In this segment, she undergoes TomoTherapy treatment, a highly-targeted form of targeted radiation therapy. The segment follows Dawn to a typical treatment visit. At the office, Dr. Robert Zimmerman of Vantage Oncology - Santa Clarita in California also explains what a patient should expect when being treated and how this technology overcomes limitations of previous technologies used to treat breast and other forms of cancer. See TomoTherapy on The Doctors, part 1 TomoTherapy®: An Explanation This segment features Dr. Robert Zimmerman demonstrating the advantages of TomoTherapy technology in front of The Doctors studio audience. Cancer patient, Dawn, who was treated by Dr. Zimmermann for breast cancer tells of her experience and current progress in beating her disease. See TomoTherapy on The Doctors, part 2 Treatment Center News 2009-12-08T21:00:59+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2009_12_8_mdtraining/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2009_12_8_mdtraining/#When:20:30:39Z MADISON, Wis – December 8, 2009 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that it has expanded its Institute of Learning curriculum to include a course for radiation oncologists. The course, which is being offered in partnership with Monmouth Medical Center of Long Branch, N.J., is designed to introduce physicians to the fundamentals of the TomoTherapy® platform and its use in a clinical setting. The radiation oncologist course on TomoTherapy technology is collaboratively taught by physicians Mitchell Weiss, M.D., and Sang Sim, M.D., along with physicist Jack Yang, Ph.D., all of whom are members of Monmouth’s radiation oncology team and have been using TomoTherapy technology since 2008. “Hosting this type of program allows us to share our TomoTherapy experience with others, so they can smoothly transition to the TomoTherapy platform,” said Dr. Weiss. “At the same time it allows for collaboration and for the opportunity to learn from each other.” The new training course was piloted in November 2009 at Monmouth Medical Center. Four physicians from TomoTherapy treatment centers around the world attended the three-day course focused on peer-to-peer learning. According to James Coster, M.D., a radiation oncologist with US Oncology, Inc., affiliate Kansas City Cancer Center, the new program addresses an important need. “From expanding what I consider an appropriate range of applications to improving treatment planning strategies, the M.D. training course was extremely valuable to me as a new user,” said Dr. Coster. “Instruction like this should accelerate one’s ascent up the learning curve for this unique technology.” In 2010, there will be four TomoTherapy physician training courses held throughout the year. TomoTherapy also is considering adding advanced training for radiation oncologists. “The TomoTherapy platform is the next-generation in radiation therapy—a solution capable of providing more precise treatments for a wider range of cancer patients,” said Kelly Conway, director of organizational development and global learning at TomoTherapy. “It is important for our customers to have an array of educational opportunities that help them optimize use of TomoTherapy technology. Adding courses for physicians is a step forward for our industry-leading training program.” Company News 2009-12-08T20:30:39+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2009_11_24_advanced_delivery_rj/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2009_11_24_advanced_delivery_rj/#When:20:45:56Z MADISON, Wis – November 24, 2009 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that a research study published in the November 11, 2009 International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics—commonly known as the Red Journal—indicated that TomoTherapySM treatment times could be reduced by up to 66 percent using advanced radiation delivery techniques. In addition, these techniques were able to improve plan quality by further minimizing the amount of radiation normal tissue received. The study, entitled “Dynamic Jaws and Dynamic Couch in Helical TomoTherapy,” was led by Dr. Florian Sterzing of the Department of Radiation Oncology at University Clinic Heidelberg to explore the benefits of the Advanced TomoTherapy Delivery Technique. This delivery technique would rely on a dynamic collimator that can automatically adjust the size of the radiation beam to optimize dosage at the target and spare surrounding healthy tissue. Another key component would be a patient couch that can be designed to accelerate treatment time by moving faster between target tumors or in those areas that do not require high doses of radiation. The University Clinic Heidelberg study concluded that with the combination of these two research advancements, they were able to develop treatment plans that indicated significantly shortened treatment times and improved quality of the treatment plan. “Our experience treating patients with TomoTherapy led us to believe that the techniques we explored in our research could result in more accurate and faster treatments,” said Dr. Sterzing. “While we limited our study to nasopharyngeal cancer applications, we believe that these techniques also would have great value in treating cancers throughout the body, particularly cancers of the prostate and those involving multiple metastases.” New TomoHD™ Treatment System Equipped to Accommodate Advanced Delivery Technique “At the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) earlier this month, we debuted the TomoHD treatment system and demonstrated how the Advanced TomoTherapy Delivery Technique could be used in conjunction with this new treatment system,” said Fred Robertson, M.D., TomoTherapy’s president and CEO. “We believe the combination of the multipurpose platform along with the Advanced Delivery Technique being explored at University Clinic Heidelberg will allow TomoTherapy to continue to advance patient care. These innovations will improve upon our unique form of beam delivery, already widely considered to be the gold standard.” The TomoHD treatment system will be commercially available in the second half of 2010 and has been designed to support the Advanced TomoTherapy Delivery Technique. The Advanced TomoTherapy Delivery Technique is currently a work-in-progress and is not available for sale. University Clinic Heidelberg is a research partner of TomoTherapy Incorporated. Representatives of TomoTherapy are co-authors on the study noted above. Company News 2009-11-24T20:45:56+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2009_11_17_piperjaffray_conference/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2009_11_17_piperjaffray_conference/#When:21:00:07Z MADISON, Wis – November 17, 2009 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) today announced that Dr. Fred Robertson, CEO, and Thomas Powell, CFO, will present at the Piper Jaffray 21st Annual Health Care Conference on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at 11:00 a.m., ET. The conference is scheduled for December 1-2 at The New York Palace in New York City, N.Y. A live Webcast of the presentation will be available on the investor relations page of TomoTherapy.com. For those who are unable to listen to the live presentations, archives of the Webcasts will be available on the company’s site for 30 days following the presentation. Company News 2009-11-17T21:00:07+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2009_10_29_astro_clinical_preview/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2009_10_29_astro_clinical_preview/#When:13:02:38Z MADISON, Wis – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that several clinical presentations at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting – November 1-5, 2009 in Chicago – will showcase the use of the TomoTherapy® radiation therapy platform as a vital component in the combined modality approach to treating cancer. Additionally, other presentations will explore how TomoTherapy technology is being employed to treat a growing array of challenging indications. The TomoTherapy Hi·Art® treatment system is a CT scanner-based device that integrates image guidance and helical radiation therapy delivery for increased accuracy and enhanced tumor targeting. There are more than 250 Hi·Art systems in use around the world. More than 45 presentations will be made at ASTRO, detailing how TomoTherapy technology is helping cancer centers around the world improve cancer care through daily imaging and more precise delivery of radiation to targets throughout the body. Some of the most compelling presentations focus on how the TomoTherapy Hi·Art system has been used to increase dosage to tumors while minimizing toxicity to patients. As a result, the TomoTherapy system is establishing itself as an effective radiation therapy solution for clinicians seeking to explore a combined modality approach that more effectively treats cancer by combining radiotherapy with chemotherapy and/or surgery. Presentations detailing such approaches include: Hypofractionated TomoTherapy with Concomitant Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Preliminary Results of a Phase I Study - Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. This study evaluates the use of TomoTherapy technology to treat pancreatic cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy and had limited options as a result. The TomoTherapy system’s computed tomography (CT) imaging capabilities enabled better identification of target movement and resulted in toxicities that were acceptable. Researchers concluded that combining TomoTherapy treatment with chemotherapy provided a promising response rate and offered improvement in patient outcomes. Prospective Phase I/II Trial of Helical TomoTherapy with or without Chemotherapy for Postoperative Cervical Cancer Patients and Prospective Phase I/II Trial of Helical TomoTherapy, Intracavitary Brachytherapy, and Concurrent Chemotherapy in Patients with Cervical Cancer - both studies from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. These presentations explore use of the TomoTherapy system as the external beam component of a treatment plan that included surgery and helical TomoTherapy, as well as evaluating the addition of chemotherapy. Researchers concluded that the TomoTherapy system’s ability to reduce toxicities provides new options for clinicians in overall patient management. Excellent Biochemical Control and Late Toxicity after Moderately Hypofractionated Adjuvant Helical TomoTherapy: Updated Results of a Phase I-II Study - Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy; IBFM-National Research Council, Cefalù (Palermo), Italy; and Prostate Program, Fondazione IRCCS-Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy. A 45-month follow-up study showed positive results for patients classified as having high-risk prostate cancer who were treated with TomoTherapy radiation therapy following surgery. Researchers reported that local control and toxicity rates were acceptable and outcomes of patients who had TomoTherapy treatments and surgery were markedly better than those treated by conventional means. Preoperative, Moderately Hypofractionated Radiotherapy with Image-guided TomoTherapy Concomitant to Chemotherapy in Rectal Adenocarcinoma: Early Results of a Phase II Study - Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy. Similarly to those previously mentioned, this study evaluates the use of TomoTherapy radiation therapy as part of a combined modality approach in treating rectal cancer. Researchers concluded that a regimen of moderately hypofractionated TomoTherapy with concurrent chemotherapy seems to be effective and has an acceptable rate of acute toxicity, and believes that a Phase II study comparing this treatment with a conventional delivered bi-fractionated regimen is warranted. ASTRO presentations also include investigation of the TomoTherapy Hi·Art system’s use in treating indications that previously had limited applicability for radiation therapy. These new studies include: Sparing of the Limbic Circuit and Pituitary during Whole Brain Radiation Therapy: A Dosimetric Study using Helical TomoTherapy - Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. This study focuses on delivering radiation to the whole brain, while sparing the hippocampi and limbic circuitry, including the pituitary, to minimize impact on memory and regulation of heart rate and blood pressure through hormone production. This type of treatment can be accomplished by using complex conformal avoidance, which is an inherent unique capability of the TomoTherapy system. Results of the research showed that the calculated biologically equivalent dose for late toxicity of the hippocampi and limbic/pituitary were reduced by over 72 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Helical TomoTherapy for Debulking Irradiation Prior to Stem Cells Transplantation in Malignant Lymphoma - Institut Curie, Hospital Cochin and Hospital d’Instruction des Armées du Val-de-Grâce, all in Paris. This study shows that use of the TomoTherapy system resulted in better sparing of critical organs and may have contributed to improving tolerance to debulking irradiation prior to allograft. Research also concluded that patients’ quality of life may be improved with less risk of subsequent heart disease as doses to the heart were decreased. Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Solitary Plasmacytoma: New Technical Approaches and New Indications - Institut Curie and Hospital Cochin, Paris. Researchers concluded in this study that TomoTherapy treatment serves as an effective local treatment for solitary plasmacytoma, and can be used to possibly decrease the early and late toxicity for patients through conformal avoidance with helical IMRT. Brain Sparing Whole Skull/Scalp Radiotherapy: Unique Application of Helical TomoTherapy - Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India. Researchers here explored how complex cases involving the scalp and skull – such as neuroblastoma metastases and non-Hodgkins lymphoma – can be treated with helical TomoTherapy, limiting toxicity to only grade 1 and grade 2 dermatitis. Pelvic Radiation in Patients with a Pelvic Kidney: No Longer Playing with Fire - McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Researchers examined treatment options for prostate cancer patients who had previously received a kidney transplant. Typically, radiation therapy was not an option for these patients because of the transplanted kidney’s proximity to the prostate. The study concludes that the high quality imaging and conformal radiation delivery possible with helical TomoTherapy can be safely utilized to treat this patient population. “We are extremely pleased to see the breadth of presentations at ASTRO 2009,” said Fred Robertson, M.D., CEO of TomoTherapy. “These presentations are representative of the tremendous clinical work performed by centers with the TomoTherapy Hi·Art system. With the introduction of the TomoHD™ treatment system at ASTRO, we look forward to delivering expanded offerings—combined with greater efficiency and versatility—to the global radiation oncology community.” Company News 2009-10-29T13:02:38+00:00 http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/view/2009_10_29_uva_tomodirect/ http://www.tomotherapy.com/news/2009_10_29_uva_tomodirect/#When:13:00:30Z MADISON, Wis – October 29, 2009 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that the first patients are now being treated with the TomoDirect™ radiation therapy delivery mode at the University of Virginia Cancer Center. The addition of the TomoDirect modality to the TomoTherapy® platform gives clinicians an efficient new option that expands their ability to fight cancer. TomoDirect is a non-rotational delivery mode developed as a clinical complement to the TomoHelical™ continuous 360-degree delivery mode. The TomoDirect delivery option enables users to quickly plan and deliver advanced TomoTherapySM radiation treatments with a series of linear beam paths, rather than a single helical delivery path. With the TomoDirect mode, clinicians can choose two or more discrete angles for optimal target coverage and define a modulation level—or opt for tissue-compensated 3D conformal delivery—based on specific patient therapy goals. Planning and treatment times are significantly reduced due to the use of far fewer treatment beams, with planning taking as little as 10 minutes and delivery as little as two minutes. “The combination of TomoDirect and TomoHelical delivery modes provides physicians with a broad spectrum of highly conformal image-guided treatment strategies to match the best technique to our patients’ needs,” said Paul W. Read, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Virginia. “TomoDirect offers static field 3D and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) options that may provide superior dosimetry to superficial tumors, such as breast cancer. The 3D delivery capabilities essentially take the TomoTherapy system from one that is a highly specialized IMRT device to a multifunctional system capable of treating almost every patient.” TomoDirect and TomoHelical delivery modes both utilize the same binary multi-leaf collimator and CT-style gantry technology unique to the TomoTherapy platform. As with the TomoHelical mode, the treatment couch passes through the bore of the TomoTherapy system during a TomoDirect delivery. This makes it possible for users to treat a target volume up to 160 cm in length, with no need to reposition the patient, and no field junctioning required. Clinicians at the University of Virginia initially will be using the TomoDirect delivery mode to treat patients with breast cancer, and for palliative care. According to Dr. Read, “As experience continues to show us the clinical benefits of TomoDirect, I’m confident in its expanded application to additional types of disease.” ASTRO Presentation on TomoDirect Dr. Read will discuss the “Practical Clinical Implementation of a TomoDirect™ Program” in TomoTherapy’s Booth (#1946) at 1 p.m., Sunday, November 1, 2009, during the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting in Chicago. Treatment Center News 2009-10-29T13:00:30+00:00