Kent Oncology Centre scans full range of postitions

Pre-treatment radiographers Karen Brasted and Sally Moran, planning manager Farzana Mali, pre-treatment radiographer Elizabeth Duck, principal radiotherapy physicist Roxanne Potts, principal clinical scientist Elinor Vinecombe, clinical scientist Ben Medford, pre-treatment radiographer Madhu Matthew, deputy planning manager Paul Marshall and Toshiba Medical Systems account executive Colin Pellow.

Kent Oncology Centre at Canterbury has replaced its ten-year old Toshiba Asteion CT scanner with a new Toshiba Aquilion LB radiotherapy CT system.  Designed specifically for oncology, the system’s large bore offers flexibility for treatment planning as its gantry aperture of 90cm removes positioning restrictions.

Head of radiotherapy physics Nick Jenkins said: “We selected the equipment for its wide bore which facilitates scanning patients in the full range of radiotherapy positions, enables scanning of bariatric patients and provides a friendlier environment for the patient, especially if claustrophobic.

“Other factors in our choice were the 1.8 metre standard couch which enabled the scanner to be sited along main axes of a small room rather than at an angle, and the low limit of the vertical couch movement – a desirable feature for patients with impaired mobility.”

See the full report on page 16 of the May 2014 issue of RAD Magazine.