[Is a linac able to do better than tomotherapy or Cyberknife?]

Area of Science:

• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Advanced Radiation Therapy Techniques

Background:

• Tomotherapy utilizes a helicoidal intensity-modulated radiation principle for large volume irradiation, avoiding multiple isocenters.
• This integrated system combines image acquisition, treatment planning, patient positioning, and irradiation.
• CyberKnife, a multifunction linear accelerator, offers conformal and intensity-modulated radiation therapy for cranial and extracranial stereotactic treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Tomotherapy and CyberKnife as advanced radiation therapy technologies.
• To highlight the integrated capabilities and multifunctionality of these machines.
• To emphasize the necessity of evaluating their performance in a comprehensive medical and economic context.

Main Methods:

• Description of Tomotherapy's helicoidal intensity-modulated radiation principle.
• Overview of CyberKnife's system components, including a six-degrees-of-freedom robot and a 6 MV linear accelerator.
• Mention of CyberKnife's installation in three French sites.

Main Results:

• Tomotherapy's ability to treat large volumes without multiple isocenters.
• CyberKnife's capability for various conformal and stereotactic irradiation techniques.
• The integration of multiple functions within a single machine.

Conclusions:

• Tomotherapy and CyberKnife represent significant advancements in external beam radiation therapy.
• These technologies offer versatile treatment options, including intensity-modulated and stereotactic radiosurgery.
• A thorough medical and economic assessment is crucial for comparing the performance of these advanced radiation therapy systems.