UNM Cancer Center

One patient's story

When Monte Newsom was diagnosed with prostate monte cancer, he didn't have many options. Traditional radiation treatment was out of the question because Mr. Newsom has two artificial hips. The metal prostheses blocked conventional CT scans from 'seeing' his prostate, and standard radiation therapy beams would have been diluted and diffused by the metal hips.

Mr. Newsom also checked into radiation seeding, but was told he wasn't a good candidate. The only remaining option was for Mr. Newsome to have surgery to remove his prostate - a difficult surgery with a long recovery time.

"I wasn't going to have another surgery," he said. "I've had too many."

Luckily, Mr. Newsom heard about the UNM Cancer Center's new TomoTherapy Hi-Art radiation machine. It proved to be the perfect solution.

TomoTherapy's advanced imaging system produced a clear, three-dimensional picture of the treatment area. Continuous spirals of radiation, delivered in a 360-degrees radius, reached around the metal prostheses and sent consistent doses of radiation directly to the prostate.

Mr. Newsom said he has had no side effects from the TomoTherapy treatment "I haven't missed a beat," he said. "And I didn't have to have surgery"

TomoTherapy Hi-Art System® is an advanced radiation device used for the treatment of cancer

TomoTherapy Brochure

Dr. Cheryl Willman Contact: Marketing
Director and CEO 505-272-2162

Press Conference Announcing:

THE WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED RADIATION TREATMENT
NOW IN NEW MEXICO

Last month, the University of New Mexico Cancer Center installed the state’s first TomoTherapy Hi-Art radiation treatment system – one of only 70 in the nation. The machine combines real-time CT scans with hundreds of spiral radiation beams delivered to patients in a 360-degree radius.The pen-point beams precisely target tumors while sparing surrounding, normal tissue, reducing some of the long-term effects of cancer treatment.
Patients who were not eligible for traditional radiation therapy can now be treated with TomoTherapy, including those patients with tumors next to the spinal cord, optic nerves and brain tissue. And, because there is almost no radiation leakage with TomoTherapy, treatment is usually safer for children.
Because of TomoTherapy’s unsurpassed precision, some tumors can be treated with very high doses of radiation in just three to five treatments, instead of the standard 30 to 40.

For more information on TomoTherapy, go to: www.TomoTherapy.com

The UNM Cancer Center is one of only 60 National Cancer Institute-designated centers in the nation. More than 60 doctors from every cancer specialty work together to design individualized treatment plans for the more than 6,000 cancer patients who come through our doors each year. Our doctors, from such renowned institutions as M.D. Anderson, Sloan Kettering, Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, work side-by-side with 110 Cancer Center researchers to provide the latest in cancer diagnosis, drugs, treatment and technologies.

“Bringing TomoTherapy to New Mexico is part of the UNM Cancer Center’s commitment to provide world-class care to all New Mexicans impacted by cancer,” said Cheryl Willman, director and CEO of the Cancer Center.

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