What happens when a person is treated with RapidArc?
RapidArc treatment involves three basic steps: diagnosis, treatment planning and delivery. As part of diagnosis, the medical team generates three-dimensional diagnostic images (usually CT or MRI) of the patient’s anatomy and uses these images to specify the dose of radiation needed to treat the tumor. In some cases, treatment planning includes a simulation session to further localize the cancer and finalize the radiation treatment plan. Patients receive RapidArc treatments according to various schedules, usually five days a week for six or seven weeks. During a RapidArc treatment, the linear accelerator rotates around the patient to deliver the radiation from nearly every angle. The radiation is shaped and reshaped as it is continuously delivered from virtually every angle in a 360-degree revolution around the patient. Treatment consisting of a 360-degree revolution takes less than two minutes.
