STAT RAD: A Potential Real-Time Radiation Therapy Workflow

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 1.5 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer, and 560,000 will die of cancer in 2010 (Jemal et al., 2010). These numbers are projected to increase rapidly in the near future due to national demographics with a large number of Americans reaching retirement age over the next 15-20 years, resulting in a doubling of projected new cancer diagnoses in 2050 to 3 million (Hayat et al., 2007). Most cancer deaths involve extensive locoregional tumors or metastatic disease to brain, lung, liver, or bone causing pain, disability, and decreased quality of life. As treatments for cancer improve, patients are living longer with advanced cancer than ever before, and the management of metastatic disease is becoming increasingly more multi-disciplinary and complex with patients treated simultaneously with systemic therapy, surgery, and radiation. It is well documented that cancer-related pain is often inadequately controlled in the palliative care setting, and both the pain and opioid medication interfere with patient function and quality of life (Bruera & Kim, 2003; Cleeland et al., 1994; McGuire, 2004). Radiotherapy is an important treatment for the alleviation of pain and suffering for cancer patients. It prevents pathologic bone fractures, and palliates tumor-induced obstruction, bleeding, and pain that is not well palliated with pharmacologic treatment (Halperin et al., 2008).