Diagnostic Imaging and Cancer Treatment Center
The Diagnostic Imaging and Cancer Treatment Center at Texas
A&M is a state of the art facility with diagnostic and
treatment capabilities never before possible in one location. The
facility is fully equipped with a Tomotherapy Unit, a CT Scanner,
and a 3 Tesla MRI Unit.
Tomotherapy can be used to treat many cancers, some of which
would have been difficult or unsafe to treat with conventional
radiation. Tomotherapy is a quick and painless process, with daily
treatments that usually take about 20 minutes.
Tomotherapy combines state-of-the art intensity modulated
radiation therapy (IMRT) with the precision of computed tomography
(CT) scanning technology. Radiation oncologists create detailed
three-dimensional maps of the size and location of a tumor and use
these images to plot the tumor's exact contours, the surrounding
organs, and sensitive tissue. Then they prescribe the dose of
radiation the tumor should receive. Based on the prescription, the
tomotherapy system programs the appropriate pattern for the
treatment, calculating the precise position and intensity of the
radiation beams.