Surface guided radiation therapy (SGRT) is a tattoo-free alternative for patients who require radiation therapy.

Traditional radiation therapy requires patients to receive very small but permanent tattoos on their skin around the treatment site. These tattoos help the radiation therapist position the patient correctly and deliver treatment to the right location. SGRT uses advanced camera technology to track and monitor patients during set-up and treatment, eliminating the need for permanent tattooing or other temporary markings on the skin.

This technique also provides the radiation therapist with thousands of reference points on a patient’s skin and allows them to precisely track a patient’s movements in real-time during treatment, helping to ensure radiation is delivered safely and to sub-millimetre accuracy. Safety is further enhanced by the system’s auto-pause feature, which automatically pauses treatment if a patient moves outside of a safe position while treatment is underway.

SGRT treatment sessions are typically shorter than traditional radiation therapy sessions, as the set-up process can be completed more quickly.

The Varian IDENTIFY™ Surface Guidance System marks a new standard in radiation therapy and features cutting-edge technology. Through the use of advanced optical surface tracking and real time motion management, the patient’s position during treatment is continuously monitored while simultaneously tracking the patient’s natural breathing movements. This real time technology not only increases accuracy and reduces patient treatment times but also eliminates the need to have permanent tattoos – which some patients find is an unwelcome daily reminder of their cancer.

Traditional radiation therapy for breast cancer requires patients to receive very small but permanent tattoos on their chest. These tattoos help the radiation therapist position the patient correctly and deliver treatment to the right location. For some patients, these tattoos are ongoing, unwanted reminders of their cancer treatment.

SGRT uses advanced camera technology to track and monitor patients during set-up and treatment, removing the need for patients to receive permanent tattoos or other temporary markings on the skin. The platform’s auto-pause functionality and high degree of accuracy also support the safe delivery of advanced radiation therapy techniques for breast cancer patients, including Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH).

SGRT is suitable for all patients undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer.