| Cancer is nearly the leading cause of death in the | | | | The IMRT process uses CT scans for much of the |
| U.S., and more and more people need help in | | | | mapping and planning, however CT scans need to be |
| treatment. Luckily in recent years there has been a | | | | constantly made for each session, making the |
| good deal of technological headway that has come | | | | process quite lengthy for the patient and therapy |
| about. From identifying and treating the tumors in the | | | | workers. |
| body, new radiation technology and techniques have | | | | Image Guiding Beam Technology |
| already come into use with a lot of promise. | | | | The next step in external beam radiotherapy is the |
| New technologies include IMRT, IGRT, radio surgery, | | | | release of the Image Guided Radiation Therapy, or |
| and TomoTherapy. | | | | IGRT. This new process has only been actively used |
| The field of radiation therapy employs several means | | | | within the past several years by clinicians. |
| to irradiate tumors and cancer masses within a | | | | The IGRT technology will use real time CT or x-ray |
| patient. For the most part, beams of x-rays or other | | | | imaging while using a linear accelerator's beam to do |
| atomic or sub-atomic particles are the most common | | | | the work. This not only saves much time for patient, |
| used means to disable the cancer cells within the | | | | but also becomes more accurate. While the IMRT |
| body, which enter the body in wave-form so it's | | | | technology would have to compensate for any |
| non-invasive. | | | | shifting of the mass within the body by firing a wider |
| This field of application is also known as external | | | | area beam typically to mass, the IGRT methods can |
| beam radiotherapy. There are several other | | | | calculate any shifting so when the beam is emitted |
| techniques in radiation therapy, such as sealed source | | | | less healthy tissue is affected. This helps bring down |
| radiotherapy and unsealed source radiotherapy where | | | | side-effect problems in the long run, such as deadly |
| application can be done through injection or ingestion. | | | | secondary cancers from radiation. |
| External Beam Radiotherapy | | | | Targeting Brain Cancer |
| The external beam technology uses charged | | | | Radio therapy has proven effective to many deadly |
| particles, mostly x-rays, and sends these wave | | | | brain cancer masses. This again is a non-invasive |
| forms through the skin to the affected area. Linear | | | | means to treat abnormalities and tumors. Radio |
| accelerator machines are used in these therapy types | | | | surgery is often the term used for many radiation |
| to emit the beams. The major advancements have | | | | treatments for the brain. The linear accelerator is |
| been more in the planning stage of the therapy. | | | | used to treat the brain in radio surgery, as well as |
| The patient's tumor mass is the trickiest part. | | | | photo beam accelerators and the new proton beam |
| Computers and software have come along to help | | | | accelerator technology. |
| map out and plan the route where the beams are | | | | One form of hardware and suite software that is |
| directed. 3-D mapping software and hardware, such | | | | used to treat brain cancer that uses the x-ray linear |
| as the multileaf collimator which alters the beam's | | | | accelerator is TomoTherapy. This is quite new as |
| shape with varying metal leaves near the laser eye, | | | | well. This incorporates IMRT beam use; however it |
| have made this process easier. | | | | also will operate in a full circular "helical" manner |
| Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT, was | | | | around the patient. |
| a recent advancement in external beam technology. | | | | The beam can be applied in a full 360 degree manner. |
| This incorporates the use of the linear accelerator | | | | The ring "gantry" holds both the beam eyelets as |
| beam and the 3-D mapping software. The IMRT uses | | | | well as the CT scanning imagery, so the 3-D mapping |
| software to map and find the tumor, as well as | | | | of the skull in brain surgery can be done. The helical |
| generate different doses of radiation to the tumor to | | | | application that TomoTherapy can deliver makes it |
| reduce the harmful affect of radiation on good tissue | | | | powerfully accurate in all many different cancer |
| that surrounds the cancer. | | | | treatments, especially those of the brain. |