IMRT available at Albemarle Hospital Regional Oncology Center

State of the art treatment helps keep tissue surrounding tumor healthy during treatment


IMRT - Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy - is a state of the art method of cancer treatment that delivers high doses of radiation directly to cancer cells in a very targeted way, much more precisely than conventional radiotherapy. IMRT involves varying the intensity (modulating) of the radiation dose across a beam, allowing us to deliver higher radiation doses directly to cancer cells, while sparing more of the surrounding healthy tissue.

IMRT uses computer-generated images to plan, and then deliver, tightly focused radiation beams to the cancerous tumor, encompassing it in a three-dimensional radiation "cloud," within the intersection of several beams delivered from different angles. This dose cloud conforms closely to the dimensions of the tumor.  

The process begins when diagnostic images are converted into three-dimensional models, allowing a treatment plan to be developed based on tumor size, shape, and location within the body - combined with the physician's dose instructions. Treatments can then begin in our medical linear accelerator, equipped with a special beam-shaping device called a multi-leaf collimator (MLC). The 120 tungsten leaves, or slats, of our MLC precisely shape the beam of radiation. The MLC is dynamic, and moves during treatment, varying the dose delivered across each beam. This allows high doses to be delivered to the tumor while preserving more of the healthy tissue.

Although IMRT may not be appropriate for all types of cancer, clinical studies indicate that higher dose rates delivered with IMRT techniques are improving the rate of local tumor control. With early detection, IMRT may be able to eradicate tumors before the cancer spreads. At the same time, by limiting the exposure of healthy tissues, IMRT can reduce unwanted radiation therapy side effects. Also, physicians can treat cancers that were previously untreatable with radiation therapy.

IMRT at Albemarle Hospital's Regional Oncology Center can usually be done on an outpatient basis.