IMRT has gradually become the standard of care for many types of cancers, particularly cancers of the head and neck, lung, abdomen, and pelvis, for which precision in delivering radiation is important. But it's also starting to be used in breast cancer treatment, particularly in patients who've had standard radiation therapy and have recurrent tumors. Here are some basics to know about IMRT:
- It delivers precise, strong radiation. IMRT uses a linear accelerator to deliver thousands of precisely focused small beams of radiation that follow the exact contours of a tumor, allowing the radiation oncologist to target the tumor much more exactly while damaging less of the surrounding tissue. Because surrounding tissue is better protected, the radiation dosages delivered via IMRT can also be higher, resulting in more effective treatment.
- It's not available everywhere. Unfortunately, because it uses different machinery than standard radiation therapy, IMRT is not available in all hospitals. If you ultimately decide that this is the treatment you want, you may have to ask her doctor whether you -- or the person you're caring for -- should seek treatment at another hospital or cancer center. It may be worth fighting for, however: The studies are impressive, and many experts advocate a switch to IMRT for the treatment of some breast tumors.
