Calypso starts IMRT study to track tissue motion

Calypso Medical Technologies announced the start of its PROBE clinical study to guide delivery of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in prostate cancer patients following radical prostatectomy at the 50th American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO).

Certain men who have undergone a prostatectomy remain at high risk for recurrence and in some patients who have had a recurrence following surgery, salvage radiation and real-time prostate bed tracking using the Calypso System can be beneficial, according to the company.

Rajanish Singla, MD, a radiation oncologist at Metropolitan Urological Specialists in St. Louis, MO, is the principal investigator for the PROBE (Prostatic Bed Experience with the Calypso 4D localization system) study.

Known as GPS for the Body technology, the Calypso System utilizes implanted beacon transponders, smaller than a grain of rice, to enable continuous tracking of the targeted tissue during radiation treatment.

When the prostate is removed, the transponders offer an objective method to locate the prostatic bed tissue and ensure the target is positioned correctly throughout daily treatment, all without the need of daily x-rays. If the target moves during treatment the radiation beam may irradiate other healthy tissues nearby, including the bladder, rectum and sexual organs, causing side effects, according to the Seattle-based company.

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