The benefit of using the ViewRay system is having an MRI scanner in the treatment room,” says Daniel Low, PhD, a medical physicist who championed the use of the ViewRay system to treat cancer. The ViewRay system is an MRI-based radiation therapy treatment option. “We have CT scanners in the room that provide us with a 3D image of the internal anatomy of the patient, but it has to be done either before the radiation treatment or it has to interrupt the treatment; it can’t be in real time. With an MRI scanner, you can be imaging and watching while the machine is treating. You get to look at the tumor move and you only treat when the tumor is in a place that you want. It’s happening in real time. The ViewRay system is a culmination of two things: better imaging before treatment, and better alignment and real-time monitoring.

Tags: 3D image, Cancer, cancer, CT scan, CT scanners, Dr. Daniel Low, medical physicist, MRI scan, MRI scanner, radiation therapy treatment, ViewRay, ViewRay system