Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) is a new technology designed to improve the precision and effectiveness of cancer treatments by giving physicians the ability to target and track tumors more accurately. One of the challenges encountered when radiation is delivered to a tumor is that the tumor can move based on the patient's day to day position on the treatment table, as well as secondary to breathing. IGRT allows the physician to better deliver the radiation dose directly to the cancer by using a variety of automated tracking systems. IGRT is conformal radiation treatment guided by imaging equipment, such as CT, ultrasound or stereoscopic X-rays, taken in the treatment room just before the patient is given the radiation treatment. Physicians can now obtain daily high-resolution imagery to pinpoint tumor sites, adjust patient positioning when necessary, and complete a treatment, all within the standard treatment time period while minimizing the incidence of side effects.