Advances in Radiation Delivery Technology Improve Cancer Treatment

When cancerous tumors appear, the best thing to do with them is to destroy the tumor and any cancerous residue. Killing the cancer is not difficult. The problem is that the methods used to kill the cancer also kill healthy tissue. The trick then becomes killing the cancer whilst sparing the patient.

Radiation beams that are often used to treat malignant tumors can be very narrowly focused, minimizing damage to healthy tissue. However, targeting a tumor with such precision as to not damage any surrounding tissue simply isn’t possible at this time. However, advances in medical technology over the last decade has improved targeting, resulting in higher success rates and quicker recovery times.

One of the most significant recent advancements in cancer treatment is Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT. If tumors were square and were never located near healthy or vital tissue, then IMRT wouldn’t be necessary. However, since tumors tend to come with curves and often are very close to tissue that one doesn’t want to damage, the IMRT plays a significant role in lessening damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Thanks to computer-controlled radiation shields, uniquely-shaped radiation fields can be delivered from various angles and approaches. The result is an ability to create concave shaped radiation fields, conforming to the shape of the tumor, allowing higher doses of radiation to be delivered while sparing healthy tissue.

IMRT is especially useful for smaller tumors that are stationary and surrounded by large amounts of healthy tissue or are located very near critical structures. These can include tumors in the brain, head and neck, prostate, or spinal cord.

Although IMRT is not currently useful for treating larger or mobile tumors, advances in imaging technology, allowing oncologists to target a tumor site more quickly and precisely, show hope for using IMRT-like technology in the future.