Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
IMRT is an advanced cancer-fighting technology that targets a precise microbeam of radiation to cancerous tumors while minimizing damage to healthy surrounding cells. To ensure treatment accuracy, Mercy's radiation oncologist and medical physicist use computerized tomography (CT) to clearly identify lesions and precisely target them.
To deliver IMRT, Mercy uses its state-of-the-art Siemens® PRIMATOM cancer treatment system—a multifunctional system that combines a linear accelerator and a sliding gantry SOMATOM® CT scanner.
The patient lays on the sliding gantry table for CT scanning. Once the CT images are studied, and size, shape and location of the tumor is determined, the radiation oncologist uses the linear accelerator to deliver the radiation. The radiation dose can be adjusted to be higher in the most aggressive areas of the tumor and lower in areas where the beam is near or passing through healthy tissue.
Caring for a cancer patient using this "all in one" treatment system reduces any potential inaccuracies associated with acquiring CT image data on a different table at a different time.
At Mercy, IMRT is used to treat many types of cancer, including prostate, head and neck, mesothelioma, pediatric cancers, breast, lung, gynecological, pancreas, brain and metastatic recurrences.
