Montefiore doctors have been the first to treat cancer patients in New York with the advanced Radixact™ Treatment Delivery System. The system was designed to deliver image-guided intensity-modulated (IG-IMRT) radiation therapy, an extremely precise form of radiation therapy.
Montefiore is the only hospital in New York State, and in the greater New York area, to have this equipment. We are one of only four in the country, and one of seven in the world to treat patients using this technology.
The Radixact System is capable of treating all standard radiation therapy indications, including breast, head and neck, lung, and prostate cancers, in addition to complex treatments such as total marrow irradiation. What makes the Radixact technology different from conventional radiation systems is the integration of a computed tomography (CT) scanner with the radiation therapy delivery system.
The built-in CT scanner performs daily imaging before each treatment session to determine the shape and position of the tumor. This allows for accurate and precise tumor targeting, while reducing the radiation dose to normal, healthy tissue. Only then is radiation delivered from 360 degrees around the patient’s body, allowing for treatment of any target, irrespective of its length.
At Montefiore, patients are treated for prostate cancer and plans are also in place to use the system for patients with OB/GYN-related cancers and head and neck cancers.