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Kelsey-Seybold Cancer Center Only Facility in Houston to Offer the Varian Calypso System Tumor Tracking
Calypso® improves the accuracy of radiation dosing by tracking tumors in real time, helping to protect the healthy tissue around the tumor.
Houston (April 10, 2018) – Kelsey-Seybold Clinic’s Cancer Center is the first facility in the Houston area to offer The Calypso system tumor tracking from Varian Medical Systems for radiation oncology patients undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Calypso, which uses “GPS for the Body®” technology, tracks tumors in real time, including even the slightest movements, helping radiation oncology clinicians maintain their targets and helping to protect the surrounding healthy tissue.
Traditional radiation therapy has come a long way in targeting tumors while protecting healthy tissue. However, the addition of Calypso is a game-changer for areas of the body where motion is variable and unpredictable.
Calypso works in conjunction with the Varian Edge™ radiation system. While a patient is undergoing radiation therapy treatment, Calypso tracks the movement of the tumor target. If the system detects a movement, it communicates that information with the radiation system and automatically turns the radiation beam off until the target moves back into original location.
Radiation oncology clinicians are tasked not only with delivering the radiation treatment that patients need, but also with helping to reduce exposure of healthy tissue. In an area like the prostate, this is a challenge, because there is near-constant unintentional movement, such as the bladder or rectum filling or respiratory motion. Calypso helps track any movement and helps our clinicians deliver therapy precisely and accurately.
For now, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic will use Calypso tumor tracking for most patients undergoing radiation therapy treatment for prostate cancer. In the near future, the tracking system will be expanded to include other types and sites of cancer.
To learn more about the Kelsey-Seybold Cancer Center and its Radiation Therapy and Radiosurgery services, visit Kelsey-Seybold.com/cancercenter or call 713-389-4474.
About Kelsey-Seybold
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston's premier multispecialty group practice, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston's renowned Texas Medical Center. More than 650 physicians and allied health professionals practice at 38 locations in the Greater Houston area. Kelsey-Seybold offers quality medical care in 65 medical specialties. The organization operates the largest freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center in the state of Texas and offers state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam and Varian Edge radiation therapy technology at a nationally accredited Cancer Center. An accredited Sleep Center, comprehensive laboratory services, advanced imaging and diagnostics, 24 onsite Kelsey pharmacies and one specialty pharmacy, and MyKelseyOnline, a secure web portal, are part of its comprehensive offerings. Kelsey-Seybold partners with major insurers to offer value-based commercial health plans. KelseyCare Advantage, a Medicare Advantage plan offered to Houston-area beneficiaries and affiliated with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, has achieved the coveted 5-out-of-5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for seven consecutive years.
Kelsey-Seybold has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the nation’s first accredited Accountable Care Organization and a Patient-Centered Medical Home. Kelsey-Seybold has many physicians in the Greater Houston area certified for excellence in diabetes and heart and stroke care by the NCQA. In addition to these recognitions, Kelsey-Seybold is home to a nationally accredited Breast Diagnostic Center and Endoscopy Center.