At the University Hospital for Radiation Oncology Innsbruck, prostate cancer treatment is built on precision and teamwork. Treating 15–20 patients each day, the department has refined an implanted marker workflow that gives clinicians full control over imaging and positioning. Under Professor Ute Ganswindt’s leadership, the team has made accuracy a shared focus across every step of care.

The challenge: motion that doesn’t wait - Even in treatments lasting only a few minutes, the prostate can shift without warning. In Innsbruck, this unpredictable movement appeared in one third of monitored sessions. Small deviations could accumulate across a VMAT arc with the potential to affect dose coverage and increase toxicity. To move toward shorter, more efficient treatment schedules, the team needed a way to quantify and correct that motion reliably in real time.

The innovation: an implanted marker workflow built for precision - Using the Brainlab ExacTrac Dynamic implanted marker workflow, the Innsbruck team was able to detect and correct for prostate motion. Continuous X-ray monitoring of fiducial markers helped clinicians maintain target alignment throughout treatment and prevent deviations from building over time. With marker implantation performed directly within the radiation oncology department, the workflow also allowed seamless integration with imaging and planning protocols and ensured strong ownership of each step.

The shift: confidence to move toward ultra-hypofractionation - With precise, reliable motion management in place, the team began transitioning from conventional and moderately hypofractionated regimens to ultra-hypofractionated protocols. Their goal was clear: shorten the overall treatment pathway while maintaining the accuracy necessary to protecting nearby healthy structures and minimizing toxicity. The established collaboration across teams and the efficiency and precision of the implanted marker workflow provided the necessary foundation to make that shift safely.

In their words: “Progress like this only happens when everyone is aligned around the same goal: delivering precise, reliable care for every patient, every day. The collaboration across teams and the efficiency of the implanted marker workflow provided the foundation we needed to make that shift safely.” – Dr. Angela Ginestet, Radiation Oncologist, University Hospital for Radiation Oncology Innsbruck.

The impact: precision that supports patient-centered treatments - A recent evaluation from the University Hospital for Radiation Oncology Innsbruck confirmed that the implanted marker workflow with ExacTrac Dynamic accurately identified and corrected clinically relevant motion during prostate treatments. For a department committed to delivering precise care at high daily volumes, this capability is helping shape a future where shorter treatment schedules can coexist with uncompromised accuracy.

Please join us in celebrating the Innsbruck team for leading the way toward ultra-hypofractionated prostate cancer care. If you want to learn more about their work, read the study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37523057/

Picture: ©Tirol Kliniken Innsbruck, Dr. Julian Mangesius, Dr. Angela Ginestet, University Hospital for Radiation Oncology, Innsbruck, Austria