CANCER treatment and tumor detection takes on another level as Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH) partners with Transmedic Phils. Inc. for a more accurate and flexible treatment of cancer.
The Tomotherapy system is a radiation therapy that combines imaging and treatment delivery, which targets different varieties of cancer. Because of its imaging component, it is able to see the changes with the tumor in the course of treatment so necessary treatment adjustments can be made.
"The process flow will heavily impact the treatment outcome because we will be able to see the tumor on a weekly basis or a more regular basis. The image that will be forwarded to us will help us identify if there is a need for replanning. We can do more adaptive treatment. For example, if the tumor is huge during first detection but it shrunk while the treatment was on going. On a normal radiotherapy treatment, you don't always see this. You cannot really quantify what happened to the volume because what you have is a 2D image. But here [with this new equipment]. you can see the CT Scan and you will see how it shrinks over time. With this, you can decide whether to re-plan or not," said DDH Assistant Ancillary Director Joseph Michael D. Nepomuceno after the contract signing.
Through Tomotherapy, radiation oncologists are given control which part of the body the radiation is mostly needed. This decreases the damage to surrounding healthy cells.
"When you treat the patient, you are sure of what you're treating. At the same time, as we go along delivering the treatment for one, two, three weeks, there will be regression of the tumor. And when we see that there is marked regression, we can actually re-plan the patient and reduce the treatment volume thereby reducing also the side effects," said Dr. Maria Lourdes B. Lacanilao, DDH Chief Radiation Oncologist.
As this is the first partnership and the first equipment of its kind in Mindanao, Dr. Lacanilao hopes that it will be received well by patients who need it. Even if it would be pricier than the other equipment that they have, she assured that patients will still be getting more than what they pay for because of the quality of the equipment. At the same time, they would no longer need to spend for additional fees such as board and lodging which would be necessary should they go to hospitals in Metro Manila with the same equipment.
For her part, Transmedic Phils. Inc. country manager Vanessa F. Ambagan said precision is the key for this equipment. This is mainly how it is different with chemotherapy.
"Chemotherapy is more systemic. They are treating cancer including the healthy cells so that's why after treatment the patient is so tired and there are a lot of side effects but for radiation therapy, the radiation is just focusing on the tumor and just treating the cancer and minimizing the complications and hitting the healthy cells," Ambagan said.
Nepomuceno said they look forward to having the equipment for use of the patients by April 2020.