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Intensity modulated radiation therapy
By Eden Ali | July 6, 2007
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a mesothelioma treatments option which permit for a certain dose of radiation to be given to some shapes or mesothelioma cancers around healthy tissues. The best outcomes of IMRT option, are found in the treatment of prostate cancer, head cancers, and neck cancers. IMRT for mesothelioma treatments has a great future in the control of mesothelioma cancers. Intensive dose of radiation have been seen to destroy mesothelioma cancers, and subsequently squeeze out the tumors. IMRT emplys the use of x-rays of different intensities through a computer generated image to set-up and administer intensive radiation directly to cancerous cells, but at the same time limiting the effect of radiation on nearby healthy tissues. This mesothelioma treatments option is the most precise type of radiation therapy that exist presently.
And this technique can regulate the tumor rate by adhering to the tumor shape, and at the same time reducing the occurence of side effects. Due to its high accuracy, mesothelioma cancers that are considered untreatable befroe as a result of its closeness to important tissues can e regulated now.
A computer program ensures optimum plan of treatment based on the mesothelioma doctor’s guidance in association to the dose, shape, size, and location. An equipment known as a medical linear accelerator is then used to deliver the radiation, and also equipped with multileaf collimater which is an important equipment, helping to shape the radiation beam, delivering it according to the plan of treatment. This machine can rotate around mesothelioma patients body sending radiations as tiny as a pencil tip size, targeted with different intensities to preferred angles of the tumor.
During the planning of the treatment, a temporary ink is usually placed to identify particular spots on the mesothelioma patients’s skin, to help them in to align the target area with the radiation equipment. A CT scan can be used to get a 3-dimensional diagnostic images of mesothelioma patients, and in determining the radiation dose to be given to the tumor. On the treatment day, mesothelioma patients will be put in a certain position on the treatment desk, while the mesothelioma treatments starts.
Topics: Mesothelioma treatment ways |