Union Medical Center unveils first tomotherapy cancer treatment in the city

The Macau Union Medical Center recently performed its first tomotherapy treatment, the Islands Healthcare Complex – Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital announced.

Tomotherapy, also known as “TOMO,” is recognized as one of the most cutting-edge radiotherapy technologies available today.

The center explained, “It is currently the only device capable of performing cranio-spinal irradiation, total marrow irradiation, and simultaneous treatment of multiple target volumes in one session.”

This makes it especially well-suited for treating tumors with extended target areas as well as complex, systemic tumors, such as those affecting the spinal cord or multiple organs.

According to the medical center, “The device utilizes dual-source cone-beam scanning and features an adaptive radiotherapy platform, enabling healthcare providers to select the adaptive radiotherapy function based on patients’ conditions.”

TOMO’s slip-ring structure supports 360-degree rotation and uses 51 angles for helical irradiation. These technological advances mean radiation can be more precisely administered, sparing healthy tissue and significantly reducing side effects.

The center highlighted, “The radiation is more precisely and evenly directed at the tumor, better protecting the surrounding normal tissues and significantly reducing the side effects associated with radiotherapy.”

The medical center states that it now operates three advanced radiotherapy machines – TOMO, TrueBeam, and the AI-driven Ethos. ns