Radiation Oncology Services offers patients intensity modulated radiation therapy. IMRT, a state-of-the-art treatment, gives radiation therapists the ability to "sculpt" the edges of a tumor, sparing the adjacent healthy tissue. Tumors are irregularly-shaped, but conventional radiation treatments delivers radiation in straight lines. This means that while the whole tumor is treated, any healthy tissue close to the tumor gets treated as well. IMRT technology lets radiation oncologists deliver radiation to a tumor with more precision and accuracy, resulting in the potential for fewer side effects and higher cure rates.
Traditionally associated with major medical centers such as M.D. Anderson in Texas and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York, this state-of-the-art technology and the expertise of UPMC's cancer specialists is now available to patients in their community at our primary location — Hillman Cancer Center — and the following UPMC Cancer Centers network locations:
IMRT
planning for a patient with head and neck cancer;
IMRT allows treatment of the tumor
with minimal damage to healthy tissue
A radiation oncologist uses three-dimensional computerized scans to visually chart the location of the tumor and surrounding normal tissue. Once charted, the information is transferred electronically to UPMC's team of world-class physicists. These specialists use virtual reality simulation to plot a radiation treatment targeting the exact shape of the tumor. An optimal plan requires hours of calculations. Once the target is plotted, the treatment plan is then sent back to the Cancer Center to be transferred electronically to a linear accelerator, the machine used to deliver radiation treatments. Radiation beams are delivered in approximately 300 different segments, focusing the radiation on the tumor while minimizing the dose passing through normal tissue.
Standard radiation therapy affects both cancerous and normal surrounding tissue, causing side effects such as severe diarrhea, abdominal pain and mouth and throat ulcers. With IMRT technology, patients experience significantly lower treatment-related side effects. IMRT also offers the potential for higher cure rates.
Your oncologist will be able to tell you if IMRT technology should be a part of your treatment plan. At UPMC Cancer Centers, we pride ourselves on the level of cancer care we are able to provide each patient. Exceptional treatment is always the standard of care.
For more information about any of the services available at UPMC Cancer Centers, please call the UPMC Cancer Centers Information and Referral Service at 412-647-2811 or send us an e-mail via "Ask a Question Online."