Intensity-modulated radiation therapy

Intensity Module Radiation Therapy

    Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specific areas within the tumor. IMRT allows for the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the three-dimensional (3-D) shape of the tumor by modulating—or controlling—the intensity of the radiation beam in multiple small volumes. IMRT also allows higher radiation doses to be focused to regions within the tumor while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical structures. Treatment is carefully planned by using 3-D computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MRI) images of the patient in conjunction with computerized dose calculations to determine the dose intensity pattern that will best conform to the tumor shape. Typically, combinations of multiple intensity-modulated fields coming from different beam directions produce a custom tailored radiation dose that maximizes tumor dose while also minimizing the dose to adjacent normal tissues.

    Because the ratio of normal tissue dose to tumor dose is reduced to a minimum with the IMRT approach, higher and more effective radiation doses can safely be delivered to tumors with fewer side effects compared with conventional radiotherapy techniques. IMRT also has the potential to reduce treatment toxicity,even when doses are not increased. Due to its complexity, IMRT does require slightly longer daily treatment times and additional planning and safety checks before the patient can start the treatment than conventional radiotherapy.

    Currently, IMRT is being used most extensively to treat cancers of the prostate, head and neck, and central nervous system. IMRT has also been used in limited situations to treat breast, thyroid, lung, as well as in gastrointestinal, gynecologic malignancies and certain types of sarcomas. IMRT may also be beneficial for treating pediatric malignancies.

    Radiation therapy, including IMRT, stops cancer cells from dividing and growing, thus slowing or stopping tumor growth. In many cases, radiation therapy is capable of killing all of the cancer cells, thus shrinking or eliminating tumors.




What is Hyperthermia Cancer Treatment?

Hyperthermia is the application of heat, locally on a cancer tumor, or a whole body Hyperthermia, with the intent of debilitating cancerous cell and eventually destroying them. Hyperthermia is usually used in combination of low dose chemotherapy, conventional radiation, or low-dose-radiation.

The whole body Hyperthermia combined with low dose chemotherapy is widely used in Europe, specially in German clinics like Saint George Klinik, Gisunt Klinik, and Dr. Herzog Integrated Oncology clinic.

Local Hyperthermia combined with low dose chemotherapy is also practiced in the fore mentioned clinics and others in Europe. Local Hyperthermia combined with radiation and low dose radiation in practiced in the USA, like the integrative Oncology Hyperthermia cancer treatment center, Bicher Cancer Institute.

Hyperthermia has been shown more effective when used in combination of low chemotherapy dose, and low dose of radiation, then conventional cancer treatments (like surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy).

Integrative Oncology is a term that has started to use recently with Hyperthermia combined with radiation or chemotherapy, when complementary mind and body therapies are used in conjunction. These complementary therapies include acupuncture, nutrition, reiki, relaxation techniques, massage, meditation, self-hypnosis, exercise, physical fitness, yoga, tai chi, music therapy, and dietary supplements, to mention the most used. (source, ASCOPost.com, "Integrative Oncology: Essential to Cancer Care").

Another definition of hyperthermia is: a non-invasive therapy to treat several types of cancer, like prostate, breast, throat, tongue, tonsils, etc., that delivers radio frequency energy directly to the tumor - local or regional Hyperthermia -. By exposing a small area of cancerous tumor tissue to high (fiver like) temperatures (about 107 Celsius degrees), hyperthermia therapy damages proteins and structures within cells, as well as increase the oxygenation of the cancer cells, thereby shrinking cancerous tumors.

The heat increases the blood and oxygen circulation within the cancerous tumor, helping to make cancer cells more vulnerable to the effects of other conventional therapies, like radiation and chemotherapy. Threfore, hyperthermia is usually used in conjunction with one of these other main stream therapies.

For some more detailed information read the Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology, Chapter 15, Hyperthermia.