Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center was chosen by TomoTherapy to serve as a Center of Excellence for the equipment and take part in research studies. Through a joint venture with Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Center is able to research TomoTherapy’s treatment capabilities. The partnership leverages Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s clinical facilities and commitment to patients with LSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy’s expertise in imaging and medical physics.
During 2006, the Center implemented several new treatment options, including a program that allows the treatment team to be more aggressive when treating tumors that move when a patient breathes, as is the case with lung cancer. This exciting new treatment program makes use of the revolutionary capabilities of the TomoTherapy treatment machine and the Center’s world class medical physics team.
TomoTherapy, Inc. has a three-year research agreement through 2008 with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center to study for which patients with shallow cancer TomoTherapy can provide a therapeutic advantage and how to best deliver the dose. The research agreement consists of two studies, one to study the dose properties to shallow cancer using TomoTherapy and one to compare electron therapy and mixed beam therapy with TomoTherapy. For more information on this agreement, click here.