Image Guided Radiation Therapy

It makes use of image guidance at the time of treatment. Imaging is done generally by Cone Beam CT (CBCT) equipped with the linear accelerator. 

What is done?

When undergoing IGRT, high-quality images are taken before each radiation therapy treatment session. The images are used to increase the accuracy and precision of the radiation treatment.

What are the advantages?

With IGRT it is possible to use higher doses of radiation to kill the cancerous cells while avoiding harm to healthy tissues and minimizing the radiation side effects. The patient’s anatomy and weight loss can be monitored which can guide the oncologists to tailor the treatment plan accordingly.

• Can do Adaptive Radiotherapy in which the weight loss and patients anatomy can be monitored and the treatment plan can be changed accordingly. This will lead to lesser side effects
• Increased accuracy
• Track movement of tumours: it is possible to track movement of tumours and organs (inter-fractional and intra-fractional)
• Possibility to achieve higher doses of radiotherapy 
• More precision