City of Hope adds second TomoTherapy system

Madison, Wis. - TomoTherapy, Inc., a developer of radiation therapy technology, has installed its second Hi-Art System at City of Hope, a national medical center based in Duarte, Calif.

The facility, a leader in the field of bone marrow transplantation, is among a growing number of treatment centers that have purchased a second or third Hi-Art unit. With the technology, clinicians are able to produce a 3-dimensional image of a tumor and an optimizer then helps calculate the intensity of the radiation beam to be delivered, minimizing damage to surrounding tissue and organs.

In June of 2005, physicians at City of Hope performed the first total marrow irradiation (TMI) using the Hi-Art technology. The second system will be used for TMI patients in preparation for bone marrow transplantation, as well as cranial and spinal treatments.

"We required significantly more capacity than could reasonably be accommodated on a single unit treating all sites of malignant disease," said Jeffery Wong, division of radiation oncology chairman for City of Hope. "We are pleased to have a second unit to focus on these demanding treatment techniques."

Several other institutions in Europe and the United States have chosen to purchase multiple units from TomoTherapy, which collaborated with scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop its technology. Related stories

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