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High doses of Radiation can kill cells or keep them from growing and dividing. It has proven to be particularly effective in killing cancer cells and shrinking tumors. Although some normal cells are affected by radiation, most normal cells recover more fully from the effects of radiation than do cancer cells.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is a new form of radiation therapy that uses computer-generated images to plan and then deliver more tightly focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors than is possible with conventional radiotherapy. It is one of the most technologically advanced treatment methods available in external beam radiation therapy. IMRT has very small beams, or beamlets, with varying intensities that can be aimed at a tumor from many angles. The intensity of each beamlet can be controlled. During treatment, the beam shapes change hundreds of times. The radiation dose can be customized around important normal tissues in a way that is impossible with other techniques.
Most Frequently Asked Questions/Answers:
Can everybody get IMRT?
IMRT is used for those patients who meet specific criteria. The largest medical experience involves treatment of prostate cancer and cancers of the head and neck. However; knowledge is accumulating using IMRT to treat breast cancers and gynecological cancers. Your physician will determine if IMRT would be the best option for you.
Why would I want to be treated with IMRT?
IMRT allows physicians to increase the radiation dose to cancer cells while keeping the dose to surrounding tissues as low as possible.
Will this expose me to radioactive substances?
There are no radioactive substances are involved in the creation of X-rays or electrons by a Radiation Machine. When the machine is switched “on” radiation is produced and aimed directly at the cancer cell. Then, like a light bulb, when the machine is switched off, there is no more radiation---none is “stored” or “transported.”
What parts of my body can be treated with IMRT?
The most experience has been with prostate cancer and cancer of the head and neck areas. However; knowledge is accumulating using IMRT for breast cancer and gynecological cancers.
What is the IMRT process like?
IMRT involves three basic steps: diagnosis, treatment planning and delivery of the treatment.
After conducting a physical exam and a medical history review, the radiation oncologist determines a course of treatment especially for you.
Patients undergoing IMRT will have a CT scan to help with planning the treatment. This helps to ensure precise daily positioning. Following the CT scan, the IMRT planning process usually takes several days to map the tumor and the tissues/organs surrounding the tumor.
When the plan is complete the patient will be given an appointment to begin radiation treatments.
A typical IMRT session lasts about 15-25 minutes; however, the first session is somewhat longer due to additional X-ray films and checks that must be done.
A course of treatment is usually five days per week for six or eight weeks. Weekend rest breaks allow normal cells to recover.
Who gives the treatment?
A doctor (Radiation Oncologist) who has had special training in radiation prescribes the type and amount of treatment that best suits a particular patient. The Radiation Oncologist heads a highly trained health care team including: 1) a Radiation Physicist, who helps plan the process and ensures the machines delivers the correct dose, 2) a Dosimetrist, who works very closely with the Radiation Oncologist and the Physicist in planning the treatment, 3) a Radiation Therapist, who positions the patient for treatment and runs the machine that delivers the radiation, and 4) a Radiation Oncology Nurse, who provides the nursing care through education and managing side effects.
What Are the Effects of Treatment?
Side effects of Radiation are most often related to the area that is being treated. Most side effects can be treated with medication and/or diet. They usually go away within a few weeks after treatment is finished.
What is the cost of IMRT?
Radiation treatments require very complex equipment and the services of highly trained health care professionals. The exact cost of your treatment will depend on the type and number of treatments ordered.
Medicare does provide some reimbursement for IMRT as well as do other insurance carriers. It is always a good idea to talk with your particular insurance company to determine what they will pay. The office staff or business office is always available for assistance.
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