Linear Accelerator

More patients with prostate cancer have been treated with DART at Dattoli Cancer Center than any other center in the world. Moreover, our center boasts having the most sophisticated technologies to achieve DART at the highest level, providing every patient with the most effective treatment available. DART has the ability to cast thousands of precisely targeted radiation “beamlets” or “microbeams,” on a 360-degree radius, not only into the prostate gland and a carefully delineated margin, but also in escalating doses directly into the tumor(-s), while de-escalating doses to the urethra and healthy surrounding tissue.
The Dattoli Cancer Center is the first freestanding clinic in the world to combine DART with brachytherapy boost (radioactive seed implantation) to create a revolutionary treatment regimen with which we have achieved the highest long-term cure rate in the world.
Since we are generating high-energy beamlets at specific cubic millimeter targets, immobilization of the patient is imperative. For this reason, a number of checks and balances are put into place prior to and during treatment. Even the simple motion of breathing can shift the position of the prostate, which is tracked and corrected by our special 2nd generation Respiratory Gating System. This is an advanced video tracking technology that allows for real-time monitoring that accounts for patient breathing. Also included in the DART suite are strict immobilization techniques utilizing Vac-Lock assistance, motion sensing tracking cameras, and AlignRT surface guidance, along with Varian Exact Couch™ and PortalVision™ with Exact Arm positioning.
These and other tools allow us to take the 4th dimension of motion into account, ensuring that the right dose is delivered to the right target at exactly the right time. Daily localization of the target is essential to optimize therapeutic effects since both patient and organ movement may occur (for example, during treatment, air may enter the rectum pushing the prostate forward or fluid may enter the bladder pushing the prostate down). It should be noted that all the techniques that we use are non-invasive. These DART treatment protocols are implemented with comprehensive checklists that are crucial to ensure accurate targeting on a daily basis for each treatment session. The actual delivery of the radiation is a dynamic process and is accomplished through the use of numerous 4D devices, which allow us to “sculpt” the micro-beamlets in order to deliver the precise dose required.
The Dattoli Cancer Center is the first freestanding clinic in the world to combine DART with brachytherapy boost (radioactive seed implantation) to create a revolutionary treatment regimen with which we have achieved the highest long-term cure rate in the world.