- It delivers more easily adjusted radiation. This even more advanced form of IMRT uses online computer imaging to adapt radiation therapy to the changing contours of the tumor in real time, during the radiation therapy itself. (In regular IMRT, the mapping is usually done ahead of time.) The computer compares images taken before the procedure to those taken during the procedure itself. Since tumors typically shrink as a result of radiation therapy, IG-IMRT (also called IGRT) allows doctors to adjust the radiation to accommodate the shrinking tumor margins, protecting the growing area of healthy tissue around the edge.
- It's good for delicate locations. Also called image-guided adoptive planning, IG-IMRT has been used with great effectiveness to treat tumors in delicate, complex locations such as the head and neck. Study results show that IG-IMRT allows doctors to use high doses of radiation with less damage to healthy tissue.
