Wendt Regional Cancer Center Introduces Trigger Imaging to Pinpoint Tumors During Treatment

UnityPoint Health – Wendt Regional Cancer Center is enhancing its radiation therapy capabilities with the introduction of KV trigger imaging, an advanced technology that monitors patient movement in real time to help ensure highly precise treatment delivery.

As the only cancer center in Dubuque offering this leading-edge technology, Wendt Regional Cancer Center is bringing innovative, high-quality cancer care closer to home – reinforcing its commitment to exceptional patient care.

During radiation treatment, the care team carefully places the patient in the same position each time, so radiation is delivered to the exact treatment area. However, intra-fractional movement — movement of the tumor or target during treatment — can still happen. For example, if a prostate cancer patient has slow bladder growth or bowel shifts during treatment, the target can move out of alignment, which may affect treatment accuracy.

The KV trigger imaging technology monitors the treatment area during radiation delivery. If the target moves beyond an acceptable range, the system automatically pauses the radiation beam until proper alignment is restored.

“Modern radiation has very precise targeting of tumors, within millimeters, to spare normal tissues, but we don’t want to miss tumors if the patient moves due to breathing, passing gas or any other reason,” said Ali Shah, chief medical physicist at the Wendt Regional Cancer Center. “KV trigger imaging prevents this from happening by monitoring the radiation as it is delivered and automatically stopping radiation if a tumor moves too much.”

By pinpointing the tumor throughout treatment, trigger imaging also helps minimize radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue and nearby critical organs. This can reduce side effects while improving overall patient safety.

“In addition to our highly skilled radiation oncologists and therapists, this trigger imaging technology adds another level of safety for patients by ensuring the dose of radiation reaches the correct area,” said Andrea Watkinson, executive director of the Wendt Regional Cancer Center. “It helps us further minimize radiation exposure to surrounding tissue, reduce side effects and deliver care as efficiently as possible.”