CT Simulator and Treatment Planning

Patients at our Radiation Treatment Unit now have an extra edge in their fight against cancer, thanks to the new CT Simulator.

CT Simulation is one of the latest advances in the field of Radiation Oncology for the treatment of cancer, and is now available the Ceylinco Healthcare Centre’s Radiation Treatment Unit. CT Simulation uses the latest in 3D technology to localize, define and reconstruct a patient's tumor. This process identifies the tumor along with the normal tissue surrounding it, allowing the Radiation Oncologist to design the best treatment plan based on each patient's anatomy. This enables the Radiation Therapist to map out the resulting treatment coordinates with a high degree of accuracy.

A CT Simulator is vital to this process. It differs from a conventional CAT scan in a number of respects. A series of internal and external lasers permit proper positioning of the patient on the treatment table. Small skin markers are correlated with the patient's internal anatomy and tumor. The table position of the simulator can be precisely indexed and documented to accurately reproduce the treatment setup each day over the 5 - 8 weeks of therapy. All this information is then transferred to the 3-dimensional planning computer and the linear accelerator, which is the treatment machine. Multiple checks are in place to ensure the accuracy of daily treatments.

The CT Simulator also reduces patient time at the center. It allows a patient to receive a full CT scan in 3-5 minutes. The same machine provides the simulated coordinates for the high-energy radiation treatments. A patient can schedule another appointment for the actual delivery of treatment.

Armed with this technology, we can sleep easy, knowing that we provide the best and most accurate treatment available to our patients.