Radiotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Radiotherapy, including details on cancer treatment, side effects.

Innovations in image-guided radiotherapy.

Verellen D, Ridder MD, Linthout N, Tournel K, Soete G, Storme G

UZ Brussel, Oncologisch Centrum, Radiotherapie, Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium. dirk.verellen@uzbrussel.be

The limited ability to control for the location of a tumour compromises the accuracy with which radiation can be delivered to tumour-bearing tissue. The resultant requirement for larger treatment volumes to accommodate target uncertainty restricts the radiation dose because more surrounding normal tissue is exposed. With image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) these volumes can be optimized and tumoricidal doses can be delivered, achieving maximal tumour control with minimal complications. Moreover, with the ability of high-precision dose delivery and real-time knowledge of the target volume location, IGRT has initiated the exploration of new indications for radiotherapy, some of which were previously considered infeasible.

Published 23 November 2007 in Nat Rev Cancer, 7(12): 949-60.
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