Radiation Therapy with IMRT

Radiation Therapy with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) combines extremely precise tumor imaging techniques with delivery of hundreds of thin beams of radiation to the exact tumor location in three-dimensional patterns from any angle. Results are precise control of radiation delivery, reduced radiation dosages, declining complication rates, and fewer side effects with the hope for higher cure rates. This technology has raised the bar in radiation therapy nationwide.

IMRT is a third generation form of cancer radiation treatment using computer generated accuracy. This allows prostate cancer treatments with increased doses but fewer side effects. Studies consistently demonstrate that the higher the prostate radiation treatment dose is, the better the chance of curing prostate cancer.

IMRT makes a good treatment choice for many patients with prostate cancer. It is a moderately non-invasive cancer treatment that does not require surgery or radioactive seed placement. The prostate cancer cure rates are very good with minimal side effects with IMRT.

The Benefits of IMRT
• Higher doses of radiation can be sent directly to tumors and cancer cells, but organs and tissues close to the tumor are protected.
• Lower doses of radiation to healthy normal tissues that are near the tumor may mean fewer complications or side effects. In the case of prostate cancer, lower doses of radiation to the nearby bladder or rectum produce fewer side effects .
• In prostate cancer studies conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, local tumor control rates were significantly improved. Prostate cancer patients treated with IMRT showed a 92% three-year survival rate for early stage prostate patients, as compared with an 81.6% survival rate for cancer patients treated at lower doses with an earlier form of radiation therapy. In addition, the use of IMRT cut rectal bleeding complications from 17% to 3% of the cases.
• Physicians can treat cancers that they could not treat before with radiation treatment therapy.
• In some cases, IMRT can be a non-invasive alternative to surgery.
• IMRT precisely targets the tumor and not the surrounding tissues.