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3D Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D CRT)
Three-dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) delivers radiation to the target from different directions, with the use of a high-energy linear accelerator. The treatment fields are shaped to the patients anatomy utilizing a CT scan to define the area to be treated. With 3D CRT, the radiation oncologist is able to deliver the necessary amount of radiation to the patients cancer while reducing the amount of radiation given to normal structures, decreasing the risk of side effects and complications.
Intensity Modulated Radiation therapy (IMRT)
In radiation therapy, the goal is to deliver radiation only to the cancer site, sparing as much normal, healthy tissue as possible. Physicians at Regions are using a new technique that delivers high doses of radiation to tumors while substantially reducing exposure to normal tissues. This therapy is called intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT. Instead of using a single, large uniform beam of radiation, IMRT can break up the radiation into hundreds of small radiation beams of varying intensity. These small beams can be directed to conform to the shape of the tumor where they deliver a high dose of radiation and minimize the damage to surrounding tissues.
Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)
At Regions, the linear accelerator has imaging technology that allows clinicians to obtain very high resolution images to help better deliver the radiation to the cancer site. This technology is very helpful for treating tumors in the abdomen that can move from day to day with differences in organ filling and with movements while patients are breathing.
IGRT involves radiation treatment guided by imaging, such as CT, ultrasound or X-rays, taken in the treatment room just before the patient is given the radiation treatment. The imaging information is then transmitted to a computer in the treatment room to allow doctors to compare the earlier image with images taken just before treatment. Doctors compare these images to see if the treatment needs to be adjusted. This allows the doctor to better target the cancer while avoiding nearby healthy tissue. In some cases, the doctor will implant a tiny marker in or near the tumor to pinpoint it for IGRT.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)
Small brain tumors can be treated using Stereotactic Radiosurgery, a technique that delivers a precise, pinpoint dose of high dose of radiation to a target in a single treatment. This approach offers a non-invasive alternative to surgery, allowing treatment of tumors that would otherwise be inoperable. Computer imaging allows the tumor to be precisely located in three dimensions.
Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
Another highly specialized type of external beam radiation is stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy. Small brain tumors, spine, thoracic and abdominal tumors can be treated using this technique that delivers multiple pinpoint doses of high-energy radiation robotically to a targeted abnormality. This treatment provides a non-invasive alternative to surgery for tumors that otherwise may be inoperable.
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