Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Begins Operation of VitalBeam Linear Accelerator for Radiation Cancer Therapy

Catholic University Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced on the 13th that it has begun operating the newly introduced advanced radiation cancer treatment linear accelerator and simulation equipment.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital announced on the 13th that it has introduced the VitalBeam equipment from Varian, a U.S. company, as the latest linear accelerator for radiation cancer treatment.
[Photo by Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]

The latest radiation cancer treatment linear accelerator introduced by the hospital is the 'VitalBeam' device from Varian, USA, implemented to ensure precise radiation therapy and better patient safety. This equipment can precisely treat only the tumor target tissue while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissues through image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) based on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

VitalBeam is a state-of-the-art radiation therapy device capable of delivering high-dose-rate radiation to tumor target tissues, designed to minimize adverse effects caused by patient movement. In addition to conventional intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), it is equipped with a 6D couch (patient table) previously only applied to TrueBeam, enhancing radiation therapy accuracy to sub-millimeter levels.

The simulation equipment, a CT simulator called 'Somatom Go.Open Pro' from Siemens, is used in the treatment planning process to non-invasively acquire the patient's anatomical structure before radiation therapy. This device reduces treatment inaccuracies caused by breathing by recognizing and eliminating unstable patient respiration during simulation. In addition to correcting artifacts caused by metal implants in the body, unlike previous CT simulators affected by the patient's body shape and posture due to a narrower field of view, it can acquire a wide anatomical structure in a short time through a broader field of view.

On the morning of the day, a blessing ceremony for the linear accelerator and simulation equipment was held. The ceremony, led by Father Lee Gye-ho, head of the Spiritual Department, was attended by Yoon Seung-gyu, director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, In-yong, deputy director of medical affairs, Father Lee Nam, deputy director of administration, Sister Park Hyun-sook, head nurse, and Professor Choi Byung-ok, head of the Department of Radiation Oncology.

Yoon Seung-gyu, director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, said, "By actively introducing new radiation therapy devices, we hope cancer patients can receive treatment more safely and efficiently," adding, "We will pay close attention and make efforts to create an environment for advanced cancer treatment, including the future introduction of proton therapy devices."

Choi Byung-ok, head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, stated, "There is an advantage in that faster and more accurate simulation increases patient satisfaction, and more precise techniques are introduced during treatment to further minimize damage to normal tissues."

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