The cyclotron
The driving force behind proton therapy is the cyclotron. First, electricity is applied to hydrogen gas, causing the atoms to eject protons. The cyclotron then spins these protons at speeds of up to 223 million miles per hour. Magnets then guide a beam of protons from the cyclotron to the treatment rooms.
The treatment rooms
SCCA Proton Therapy offers different rooms customized to meet patient needs. The rooms include the fixed beam, inclined beam and gantry. The room selected for you will depend on your diagnosis and tumor location.
All treatment rooms feature a robotic patient-positioning system, which helps move patients into the exact position each time, ensuring precise delivery of therapy, while minimizing setup time for treatment. The positioning system received U.S. FDA clearance in April 2009 and was named rt image magazine's most valuable product in 2009.
Fixed-beam room
The fixed-beam room uses a horizontal proton beam that’s fixed in place. This system can target and treat the majority of tumors. Although the actual delivery system doesn’t move, the precision and effectiveness of the therapy is identical to that delivered by the inclined beam and the gantry.
Inclined beam room
We have two inclined-beam treatment rooms. The inclined beam is a relatively new technology that can treat approximately 80 percent of the tumors that traditionally required a gantry. This room contains two treatment beams: one positioned horizontally with the beam parallel to the floor, and one at a 60 degree incline from the horizontal.
The gantry
In the gantry room, a 35-foot diameter wheel rotates 360° around the patient, giving our radiation oncologists tremendous flexibility in providing precision treatment. The gantry is particularly effective in treating hard-to-reach tumors, pediatric patients, and anyone who requires a unique course of therapy.
Imaging equipment
Before the protons can be directed into the tumor, dosimetrists create treatment plans for each individual using RayStation. RayStation combines capabilities of traditional imaging such as CTs, PETs and MRIs, with contouring, collapsed cone convolution dose computation and 4D compatibility. RayStation also has unique features such as multi-criteria optimization, dose tracking, treatment adaptation and deformable registration. This specialized software helps to determine how much of a dose should be delivered to the tumor, whether more than one angle will be required, where exactly to deliver the dose, and how best to avoid healthy tissue. RayStation allows our physicians to model treatments and choose the most precise treatment scenario in real time.