Cancer Treatment Using Different Radiation Therapy Techniques Part 3

In our third installment discussing different types of radiation treatment we will look into more details around image-guided radiotherapy, IGRT.  Treatment using IGRT is a bit different than previous therapies we have discussed because CT scans continue to be utilized throughout treatment to look for reduction in tumor size as well as other changes.  Using several scanned images allows the radiation oncologist to adjust treatment for changes in the position of the patient and adjust the amount of radiation needed.  IGRT leads to an increase in treatment accuracy while allowing for a decrease in radiation exposure to the tissue surrounding the tumor.

There are two main types of IGRT, stereotactic radiation and radio-surgery, such as SBRT, Gamma-Knife and Cyber-knife.  Stereotactic radiotherapy is similar to IMRT except that it involved fewer treatments, fractions.  It delivers a high dose of radiation directly into a tumor.  It delivers the radiation in a number of different angles to focus radiation all at one small area. Radio-surgery involves a single fraction whereas stereotactic radiation involves two to five fractions.  Most often this treatment is used for lesions within the brain.  This minimizes effects to normal tissue, which radiation passes through while delivering a large dose of radiation to a single point where the beams all come together.  The large number of beams angle in order to deliver radiation to a single point when precise targeting of the tumor is required.

Stereotactice radiation, also known as SBRT, is used most often for treating areas such as the lung, prostate, liver, brain and bone.  With the advancements in technology, computer imaging and patient stabilization radiation oncologists are able to offer treatment in fewer fractions.  The higher dose of radiation is delivered to the tumor while the outlying areas receive less and less harmful doses of radiation.  This type of treatment is often given with the use of linear accelerators and cyber-knife systems.  Cyber-knife is basically a linear accelerator placed on a robotic arm allowing for more freedom in movement.

Radio-surgery is most often used in the treatment of brain tumors.  The brain does not move so there are not the problems with motion that are run into with other cancer treatments.   An MRI scan is used to localize the tumor and a frame is used to position the head with great accuracy.  Radio-surgery requires both neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists during planning and treatment.  Lesions that are smaller than five centimeters can be treated using radio-surgery.

This series has outlined numerous types of radiotherapy along with the cancers best treated with each technique.  More detailed information on linear accelerators and how they can be used in the treatment of cancers is available online.

Acceletronics delivers the best equipment performance and service reliability from Linear Accelerators and CT Scanners across all major brands and models.  Our qualified oncology equipment specialists provide a quality customer experience across the USA with timely field maintenance.  We sell, repair, refurbish, move and finance oncology medical systems check out more at http://www.acceletronics.com.

Cancer Treatment Using Different Radiation Therapy Techniques Part 2

In this installment we will continue to looking into the numerous options available inradiation therapy treatments that oncologists can use when treating cancerous tumors.  As stated previously, depending on a variety of circumstances the option in therapy chosen to treat your cancer will vary.  Your radiation oncologist is the only one that understands your unique situation and therefore is the only one that can recommend a treatment plan.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy, otherwise known as IMRT, delivers photons to treat tumors but in a manner that allows healthy structures to receive a potentially lower dose of the high radiation.  The process of IMRT begins much the same way as other methods of delivering photon radiation.  Treatment planning begins by performing a CT scan that outlines the normal organs and the cancerous tumors.  From the scans the radiation beams are positioned in a fashion to deliver the radiation to the cancerous area without affecting the healthy tissue.

The difference in IMRT is that the beams are divided into a grid that takes the one large radiation beam and divides it out into many smaller beams.  Computer software is employed to help radiation oncologists determine the best pattern to deliver radiation while sparing healthy organs.  A variety of shapes are used during treatment to ensure precise control while delivering radiation which is critical when treating tumors in difficult to reach positions.  IMRT is often utilized in the treatment of head and neck cancer where there are other critical structures close to the cancer that can be easily damaged by the strong course of radiation treatment.  IMRT is one of the most frequently used methods in delivering radiation.

There are downsides when treating cancerous tumors using IMRT as there are in all treatment options.  The time it takes to plan the course of treatment as well as the amount of time it takes to deliver the daily treatment because of the number of shapes the leaves are required to make during treatment.  Another downside is that with the beams going in numerous directions it is possible that the dose of radiation would not be as even as it is with three D conformal therapy.  Another disadvantage found is that although a high dose of radiation is spared to healthy organs a greater number of normal organs are affected by radiation because of the greater number of beams used in shaping the radiation.  New and improved intensity modulated radiation therapies continue to hit the market being tested on a variety of hard to reach tumors in the head, neck, brain, prostate, GI and lungs.

In our continued series on the numerous types of radiation we will begin to look into options in image guided radiotherapy otherwise known as IGRT.  The uniqueness of this therapy comes in that imaging scans are continually repeated to identify any changes in the tumor size and surrounding area.

Acceletronics delivers the best equipment performance and service reliability from Linear Accelerators and CT Scanners across all major brands and models.  Our qualified oncology equipment specialists provide a quality customer experience across the USA with timely field maintenance.  We sell, repair, refurbish, move and finance oncology medical systems check out more at http://www.acceletronics.com.

Cancer Treatment Using Different Radiation Therapy Techniques Part 1

There are numerous types of radiation therapy that oncologists are using to treat cancers today.  Several types of radiation particles or waves are used to deliver radiation treatment including photons, electrons and protons.  Photons and electrons are the used types of radiation as they are the most abundant.  Proton radiation therapy is available in a few medical therapy facilities while new proton therapies are being developed.

The three types of radiation therapy, photon, electron and proton therapy, all have the same basic effects on cancerous tissues; to eliminate them.  Each type of therapy has its own set of benefits and drawbacks which is why oncologists use it over the others in treating certain cancers.  In the following few installments on radiology treatments we will discuss why certain therapy’s are chosen by radiation oncologists over others.  Only the radiation oncologist treating you will understand your cancer situation and the best radiation therapy to best care for specific condition.

Photon Radiation Treatment Options

Photon beams are similar to those used in diagnostic x-ray machines like what would be seen to check for a bone break.  These same photon beams but in a much higher energy beam are used in radiotherapy.  Most conventional photon radiation is delivered using a machine known as a linear accelerator or linas for short.

First we will take a look into two dimensional photon therapies which are the most common therapy options in treating cancer.  This conventional radiation therapy utilizes x-ray films to determine how to best position the radiation beams to treat the cancerous tumors.  In treatment, the bones on the x-rays are used to map out the position of the tumor in relation to normal organs to allow radiologists to position the radiation beams on the targeted cancerous tumor.  In conventional radiation therapy the planning is done in a quick, efficient manner and a patient can begin the process of treatment swiftly.  Other techniques in treating cancer require lengthier planning.

Three dimensional radiation therapies use CT scanners and imaging to plan for treating tumors.  This treatment option is the most readily available within medical facilities.   One major advantage of CT-guided treatment over two dimension conventional therapy is that it allows radiation oncologists to define normal organs and cancerous tumors in three dimensions instead of the flat image present in x-ray technology.

Normally this type of treatment begins with the patient receiving a CT scan laying in the exact position they will be in for treatment.  The CT scan will outline the tumor in 3D.  Organs that are not affected will also be outlined so that during treatment they can be avoided.  The photon radiation beams will be positioned to deliver the most advantageous dose of radiation to the cancerous tumor while avoiding normal organs.

Radiologist use computer software in order to calculate the amount of radiation that is optimal to terminate the tumor while minimizing the radiation to healthy tissue.  The goal is to optimize the amount of radiation being received by the cancerous tumor while minimizing the effects of the radiation on healthy organs and tissues surrounding the area.  These calculations are constantly adjusted during treatment to take into consideration these calculations.

In order to better understand how this can be done it is important to understand how the beams are positioned using linear accelerators.  The radiation beams can be shaped in one of two ways.  The first is a leaf within the linear accelerator that can be used to form a customized radiation beam.  Usually these leaves, known as multi-leaf collimators, are made of small, shiny blocks of metal that can be quickly moved around independently of one another to form most complex configurations.  The second way that beams can be shaped is with the use cerrobend blocks that are individually molded into the desired shape.

We will continue to look into the numerous options available in radiation therapy treatments in our next installment.

Acceletronics delivers the best equipment performance and service reliability from Linear Accelerators and CT Scanners across all major brands and models.  Our qualified oncology equipment specialists provide a quality customer experience across the USA with timely field maintenance.  We sell, repair, refurbish, move and finance oncology medical systems check out more at http://www.acceletronics.com.