The head of the Radiation Oncology Service at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, Javier Luna, details that surface-guided radiotherapy acts as a "body GPS" capable of constantly verifying that radiation is administered exactly in the planned area. Thanks to this continuous monitoring, the small permanent tattoos that were traditionally performed on the skin of cancer patients to ensure positioning accuracy can be avoided.
These tattooed dots leave a visible physical mark and also an emotional impact, as many patients continue to associate them with the disease even many years after treatment. For this reason, Luna emphasizes that being able to do without them "represents a significant improvement in terms of emotional well-being, quality of life, and overall perception of the care experience."
The Jiménez Díaz University Hospital Foundation has had the surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) system since 2022. This equipment is based on several 3D cameras installed in the treatment room that generate a three-dimensional model of the patient's body surface and continuously compare it with the position previously set in the simulation CT scan, thus increasing the accuracy of the procedure and clinical safety.
When the patient makes a minimal movement or breathing alters the initially planned anatomical position, the system identifies it instantly and can even automatically interrupt irradiation until the correct alignment is restored. Therefore, it is especially valuable for tumors located in regions highly influenced by respiratory movement, such as the breast or chest.
The physicist of the Radiation Oncology Service at the Madrid center, Magnolia Rincón, remarks that this technology "allows for increasingly precise and complex treatments with greater safety guarantees," in addition to contributing to "standardizing and modernizing workflows, facilitating a much more personalized approach."
The Jiménez Díaz Foundation has received international recognition from Vision RT for its implementation of this surface-guided radiotherapy model. This distinction accredits the hospital as part of a small group of centers worldwide capable of offering radiotherapy treatments without the need for tattoos or permanent marks on patients' skin.