Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. At low doses, radiation is used in x-rays to see inside your body, as with x-rays of your teeth or broken bones.
Types of Radiation
External Radiation
External beam therapy (EBT) is a method for delivering high-energy x-ray or electron beams to a patient's tumor.
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy (brak-e-THER-uh-pee) is a procedure that involves placing radioactive material inside your body.
Techniques of External Radiation
Conventional Radiation(2D)
Conventional (2D) radiation therapy refers to the old techniques of radiation therapy where treatments would be planned by defining a limited number of beams with the boundaries delineated on orthogonal x-rays of the patient.
3D Conformal Radiotherapy
3D CRT, or three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, is an advanced technique that incorporates the use of imaging technologies to generate three-dimensional images of a patient’s tumor and nearby organs and tissues.
IMRT and VMAT
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a type of conformal radiotherapy that uses a linear accelerator to deliver an advanced type of high-precision radiotherapy that shapes the radiation beam to closely fit the area of the tumour.
Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) is a new type of IMRT. The linear accelerator rotates around the patient during treatment. The machine continuously reshapes and changes the intensity of the radiation beam as it moves around the body. Giving the radiotherapy in this way makes it very accurate, shortens the treatment time, and uses a lower overall dose of radiation.
IGRT
IGRT, or image guided radiation therapy, is a technique in which frequent imaging is used to enhance accuracy throughout the course of a patient’s radiation treatment. Imaging equipment may be built into the machine that delivers high-energy radiation beams (linear accelerator) or mounted nearby in the treatment room.
SRS and SBRT
Sterotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) are advanced and modernized forms of radiation therapy. They allow us to deliver high dose radiation to a small focused area. This specialized form of radiation treatment involves a team of specialists. This team includes neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, radiologists, radiation physicists, radiation therapists and nurses.
Helical Tomotherapy
Helical tomotherapy: an innovative radiotherapy technique for the treatment of locally advanced oropharynx and inoperable oral cavity carcinoma