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IMRT is an advanced form of 3D therapy. It uses Turville Bay’s Linear accelerator, a computer-driven machine, to actually move around the patient as it delivers radiation. In addition to shaping the beams and aiming them at a specific area from several angles, the intensity (strength) of the beams can be adjusted to minimize the dose reaching the most sensitive normal tissues. This allows the radiation to be more focused on the tumor cells, sparing much of the surrounding healthy tissue and leaving tumors unable to divide and spread.
Not everyone is a candidate for IMRT. Some of the more common disease sites that may be appropriate are prostate, brain, head and neck, and gastrointestinal. Individual situations will differ; ask your radiation oncologist if IMRT is appropriate for you.
“Currently, IMRT is being used to treat cancers of the prostate, head and neck, breast, thyroid and lung, as well as in gynecologic, liver and brain tumors and lymphomas and sarcomas.”
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