Radiation Oncology
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
What is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy?
Intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT is a special form of 3D-CRT that shapes the radiation more precisely to fit into the tumor. With IMRT, the radiation beam can be divided into several “beamlets”, and the intensity of each beamlet can be adjusted individually. Using IMRT, it is possible to further lessen the amount of radiation received by the healthy tissues near the tumour.
How IMRT is delivered?
In some cases, this allows a higher dose of radiation to be safely delivered to the tumour, potentially increasing the chances of cure. This is a very complex and promising technique that was introduced at the Cancer Solutions a few years ago. Today, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy is effectively delivered in a continuous arc around the patient using VMAT techniques, from several delivery angles. This reduces the prime dose by one-tenth and the treatment time by a few minutes.
What type of cancer is treated
IMRT is used for the treatment of tumours of the head and neck, brain, lung, gynaecological cancers, and lymphomas.