Recently a few of our volunteers were treated to a demonstration of the new Varian TrueBeam Edge linear accelerator (linac) at the Central Coast Cancer Centre, Gosford Hospital. The TrueBeam Edge is the most advanced linac on the market, combining sophisticated engineering with intelligent software design. One area that the TrueBeam Edge will be particularly beneficial is for intracranial brain tumour treatments.
The TrueBeam Edge has a treatment modality called HyperArc. HyperArc’s new cutting-edge cancer treatment technology allows multiple brain tumours to be simultaneously treated with high doses of radiation. This means that patient treatments are typically much shorter in duration than traditional stereotactic radiation therapy treatments.
Crestani Scholarships has supported the professional development of staff working at the centre through funding of scholarships, with much of this education recently focused on stereotactic techniques.
The HyperArc program was led by a team of radiation therapists who had been recipients of Crestani Scholarships in the past. This specialised training allowed the staff to facilitate a fast and relatively simple transition to using HyperArc.
We are delighted to be associated with the ongoing training of specialists in the best practices for applying this treatment and look forward to extending the opportunity for ongoing education to more radiation therapists. Crestani Scholarships continues to help ensure better outcomes for cancer patients.