Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven holistic approach provides advanced radiotherapy cancer treatment
Karmanos Cancer Institute continues to advance the treatment for cancer patients with a new Varian Ethos™ therapy system, available at its premier specialty cancer hospital, Karmanos Cancer Center, in Detroit, Michigan. This new system is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven holistic solution designed to increase the capability, flexibility and efficiency of radiotherapy. This machine is able to deliver an adaptive therapy, a treatment plan that accounts for daily changes in tumor and normal anatomy, in a typical 15-30 minute patient treatment timeslot.
“Ethos therapy is a revolutionary new therapy that allows personalized patient care on a daily basis to adapt to changes in normal tissue anatomy and radiation target structure,” explained Nitin Vaishampayan, M.D., radiation oncologist and member of the Breast Cancer, Genitourinary Oncology and Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology Multidisciplinary Teams at Karmanos and medical director of radiopharmaceutical services.
With conventional intensity modulated radiation treatment (IMRT), the CT scan used for radiation treatment planning is acquired weeks before treatment. That scan is then compared against pre-treatment images each day to guide treatment delivery.
“However, we know that normal tissue and target structures change shape and size during the several weeks of radiation treatment. The Ethos modality allows us to generate a new plan daily that accounts for those anatomical changes,” said Dr. Vaishampayan. “Ultimately, we can better target the tumor, reduce the dose to healthy tissue and potentially improve overall outcomes for the patient.”
The streamlined workflow of Ethos therapy is enabled by its AI-driven planning and contouring capabilities. The AI algorithm is trained to identify anatomical structures by using image data from hundreds of real patients along with anatomical structures delineated by human anatomy experts. Before each treatment session, the patient is imaged and the Ethos system uses its algorithms to identify the target and normal tissue structures and create a new treatment plan optimized to meet the physician’s goals while incorporating the patient’s current anatomy. Physicians and physicists then carefully evaluate the anatomical structures and the new treatment plan generated by the Ethos system prior to delivery. The ability of the machine to deliver on-couch adaptive treatment puts the patient at the center of care.
“Adaptive therapy allows us to account for the movement and deformation of structures by creating a new treatment plan tailored to the way the patient’s anatomy looks right now. The Ethos machine employs AI to do this in a fraction of the time it would take a human to do it, enhancing our ability to deliver the most personalized and accurate treatment,” said Jay Burmeister, Ph.D., chief of physics at Karmanos Cancer Center.
By providing an up-to-date view of the patient’s anatomy, Ethos therapy gives clinicians the ability to make more informed adaptive treatment decisions. Radiation treatments using the Varian Ethos system may be an option for many patients, including those with prostate, bladder and anal cancers.
Karmanos offers many radiation therapy treatment options. To find the best option for your patient, visit karmanos.org/refer, or call 1-877-KARMANOS (1-877-527-6266).