The Henry Ford Cancer Institute is the first in Michigan—and first in the world—to offer patients an advanced radiation therapy that uses an FDA-approved real-time magnetic resonance imaging and linear accelerator delivery for more precise and accurate radiation treatment.
 
The ViewRay MRIdian Linacâ is the world’s first and only FDA-approved commercially available linear accelerator-based MRI-guided radiation therapy system that can image and treat patients simultaneously. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s next generation model for use in February.
 
That next generation model is being installed at the Cancer Institute at Henry Ford Medical Center-Cottage in Grosse Pointe Farms. It will be ready for treating patients in July 2017.
 
Benjamin Movsas, M.D., chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Institute and a national expert, said the system offers “game-changing technology” in radiation therapy.
 
“This is the future in our field,” Dr. Movsas said. “This technology will allow us to optimize in real-time the delivery of radiation.”
 
Dr. Movsas said while the system will be used to treat all types of cancers anywhere in the body, it is especially beneficial for tumors where there is typically movement during treatment, including tumors in the liver, pancreas, adrenal and lung. Other types of cancer this advanced system will deliver a new level of care to include breast, prostate, kidney, and gynecologic cancers, among others.
 
Indrin Chetty, Ph.D., division head of Physics in Radiation Oncology, said the MRIdian Linac system further enhances radiation therapy with:
 
Personalized treatment. By continuously observing and assessing the patient’s tumor and internal organs, clinicians can tailor treatment to each individual.
Precision and accuracy. High-quality images and continuous soft-tissue imaging are provided while the radiation beam is on.
Real-time imaging. When clinicians can clearly see the target and watch where the radiation is being delivered, they are better able to adapt to changes in the patient’s anatomy.
 
Over the years, technology has improved the accuracy of radiation treatment while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. However, trying to accommodate for the natural movement of a tumor and the body’s internal organs during treatment has been elusive.
 
“We believe our system will lead to a new standard of care in radiation oncology,” said Chris Raanes, president and CEO of ViewRay. “With ViewRay’s first generation MRIdian system clinicians saw for the first time how much tumors and organs move and change shape during the course of treatment.”
 
The ViewRay system combines the effectiveness of MRI, which produces high-quality images of organs and structures inside the body, with a linear accelerator to map out a therapy plan and deliver radiation at the intended target, while allowing for refinements to be made in real-time during treatment. The result is a more accurate, precise treatment.
 
“Our Department of Radiation Oncology has a long tradition of expertise using the most advanced radiation technologies, and the ViewRay system offers our patients another optimal treatment for achieving the best care possible,” said Steven Kalkanis, M.D., medical director of the Cancer Institute.
 
Nearly two-thirds of all cancer patients in the United States will receive some form of radiation therapy during their course of treatment. In use for more than 100 years, radiation therapy damages the genetic material in cancer cells and helps to prevent the cells from growing and spreading. Treatments are delivered using specialized procedures to enhance their safety and effectiveness.