Home of World’s First Tomotherapy Unit Continues Important Research
In February 2001, the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Department of Human Oncology installed the world’s first clinical tomotherapy research system.
The system was initially used to treat tumor-bearing pet animals in collaboration with the UW Veterinary School, and later the first patient treatments were performed on this research unit. This unit was replaced by a production system in 2004, and today the Radiation Oncology department continues its work with the TomoTherapy Hi·Art System®, conducting a wide range of clinical and research activities.
TomoImage showing the first application of fractionated stereotactic extracranial radioablation of an early stage primary lung cancer using tomotherapy.
“We chose TomoTherapy because we were intimately involved in its development, prototype testing and technology assessment,” explains Dr. Minesh Mehta, Professor of Human Oncology.
The University of Wisconsin is one of several leading cancer centers participating in TomoTherapy’s Center of Excellence (COE) program, and Dr. Mehta has served as chair of the COE committee.
“We believe that many biologically important questions can potentially be answered by the inherent capabilities of TomoTherapy,” Dr. Mehta continues. “We have some patients who have received prior radiotherapy and are being treated at recurrence on the Hi·Art System, with good avoidance of previously treated tissues. We have conducted a pilot trial of extended para-aortic and pelvic nodal irradiation and are impressed with the avoidance achieved” with the Hi·Art System.
Dr. Paul M. Harari is the Jack Fowler Professor of Human Oncology, and specializes in the treatment of head and neck cancers. “In light of the very close proximity of normal tissue structures to tumor targets in the head and neck region, the TomoTherapy Hi·Art System affords potential advantages for dose sparing of key normal structures such as spinal cord, brainstem, salivary glands, mandible and others. These treatments are part of a clinical study that incorporates pre- and post testing of salivary, auditory, voice and swallow function so as to rigorously examine the impact of highly conformal radiation delivery on head and neck cancer patient quality of life and function.”
Thomas “Rock” Mackie, co-founder and Director of Research for TomoTherapy Inc, continues his work as a Full Professor in the departments of Medical Physics and Human Oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Mackie leads the Tomotherapy Research Group, which was officially established at UW-Madison in 1994. It is one of the largest in the field of Medical Physics and one of the most widely published radiotherapy physics groups in the world.
[Updated 24 Jul 2005]
1 Feb 2005
