How much do you know about the volumetric arc intensity modulated radiation therapy technique?

  VMAT is based on Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and combines a new highly sophisticated gas pedal with reverse optimized treatment planning software and sophisticated 3D and 2D dose verification equipment. This technology can meet the needs of tumor treatment in all parts of the body and is more suitable for the treatment of early stage cancer.  VMAT treatment technology can monitor the tumor and normal organs around the tumor with CT scan in real time before and during the radiation treatment, and adjust the treatment conditions according to the change of tumor and organ location, tumor thickness and volume, etc., so that the radiation can closely follow the tumor for precise treatment. In addition, this technology can adjust the accuracy of radiation dose to the tumor at any time, and overcome the errors of breathing movement, organ peristalsis and daily positioning, so that the important organs and tissues of human body can be better protected. As one of the most advanced radiation therapy technologies in the world, VMAT has the characteristics of “fast, accurate and excellent”. In terms of time, the traditional radiation treatment process takes 15-30 minutes, while the technology shortens the whole process to 2-6 minutes, effectively improving the tumor control rate; in terms of accuracy, the technology can rotate irradiation in any angle range of 360 degrees multi-arc setting, which is a larger irradiation range than traditional treatment. VMAT treatment technology not only allows the radiation to be weakened and enhanced with the thickness of the tumor, but also gives the most suitable radiation intensity considering the different thickness of each part of the tumor volume, while flashing away the important organs such as the eye and spinal cord in the middle or depression of the tumor. This increases tumor control rate, reduces the chance of complications in normal tissues, and reduces side effects after treatment.  The structure of the VMAT gas pedal includes the Synergy Accelerator System, the X-ray Volume Imaging (XVI) System, the iViewGT Imaging System, and the High Precision Treatment Bed System.  The future direction of radiation therapy development is to gradually move towards the modern radiotherapy model of high precision, high dose, high efficacy and low damage (three highs and one low) in tumor treatment. The new radiotherapy equipment and technology based on bio-imaging, bio-target and bio-dose will make the tumor radiotherapy technology enter a new period.