For many breast cancer patients, the need for permanent tattoos as part of their radiation therapy treatment can come as an unwelcome daily reminder of their cancer. Now Sunshine Coast breast cancer patients can access state-of-the-art treatment at Icon Cancer Centre Maroochydore that is both highly accurate and eliminates the need for permanent tattoo marks, with the introduction of Varian’s IDENTIFY™ Surface Guidance System.
Traditional radiation therapy for breast cancer requires patients to receive very small but permanent tattoos on their chest. These tattoos help the radiation therapist position the patient correctly and deliver treatment to the right location. The IDENTIFY™ technology heralds a new standard in radiation therapy and eliminates the need to permanently mark the body, using advanced optical surface tracking and real time motion management to continuously monitor a patient’s position during treatment, while simultaneously tracking the patient’s natural breathing movements.
