Mary Bird Perkins is proud to offer our patients IMRT, also known as intensity modulated radiation therapy.
Physicians at leading institutions like Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center use intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, a form of radiation therapy that allows radiation oncologists to deliver an optimum treatment of radiation individualized for each patient.
IMRT involves varying the strength of the radiation (x-rays), being used as therapy for cancer. It is a form of radiation therapy that uses computer-generated images to plan and then deliver more tightly focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors than is possible with conventional radiation therapy. With this capability, a precise radiation dose can be shaped to the tumor, while significantly reducing the amount of radiation to surrounding healthy tissues.
Very small beams with varying intensities can be aimed at a tumor from various angles to attack the target in a complete three-dimensional manner. In fact, IMRT can be delivered with beams the size of a pencil tip, each with varying intensity. The idea is to deliver the lowest dose possible to the surrounding tissue, reducing the chance of causing a radiation side effect, while still delivering the maximum dose to the tumor.
Imagine painting with a paintbrush as compared to using an airbrush with masking tape to protect outlying areas. The airbrush allows you to deposit variable amounts of paint in a highly controlled fashion. IMRT does something similar with radiation.
View our video of how MLC shapes a radiation beam, ‘painting’ the tumor with varying intensities.
IMRT is not used for all cancer treatment sites, and sometimes it is not used for your full course of treatment. Often IMRT is used as a “boost” at the beginning or end of your course of radiation therapy.
In-depth patient information about IMRT can be found in the IMRT patient brochure. More in-depth patient information for those undergoing IMRT treatment for prostate cancer can be found in the IMRT prostate patient brochure.