IMRT breaks each radiation beam into many small beamlets of varying intensity, letting the dose wrap tightly around an irregular target while easing off over the healthy tissue beside it.
IMRT is the workhorse of modern radiation oncology — the technique that lets a dose be shaped to a tumour's actual three-dimensional outline, not just a box around it.
Conventional radiation delivers uniform beams. IMRT divides each beam into hundreds of small segments whose intensity is modulated independently, so the combined dose conforms closely to the target while sculpting steep fall-offs around nearby critical structures.
IMRT is planned from a CT simulation and delivered as painless daily sessions. It is almost always combined with image guidance (IGRT) to ensure the precision the plan assumes.
IMRT breaks each radiation beam into many small beamlets of differing strength, so the dose can wrap tightly around an irregular tumour while easing off over the healthy tissue beside it.
It conforms the dose more closely to the target, which usually means fewer side effects for the surrounding organs — particularly valuable in head and neck, prostate and gynaecological cancers.
Each session lasts only a few minutes. It is the planning beforehand that takes more time and care.
Yes. Dr. Bhatnagar plans and delivers IMRT at Batra Hospital & Medical Research Centre, New Delhi.
General information, not a substitute for a consultation. Your plan depends on your reports, stage and general health — discuss your case with Dr. Bhatnagar.
Bring your reports and scans for a consultation — he will tell you plainly whether radiation has a role.
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