Radiation Therapy is a subspecialty of oncology management that uses high-energy x-ray treatments to slow, stop or destroy cancer cells so they are unable to grow and multiply. These treatments can be used alone or in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy, depending on the type and location of the cancer. Radiation treatments provide a noninvasive way to treat many primary cancers and can be used to destroy microscopic cancer cells left behind after surgery and chemotherapy. Many times, radiation therapy can be used in advance of surgery to decrease the size of the tumor, making it easier to remove.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Capital Region Medical Center was the first to offer IMRT to central Missouri. This ultra-sophisticated technique is used to safely deliver high doses of radiation therapy to small targets within the human body. This technique is used at Capital Region’s premiere community cancer facility, Goldschmidt Cancer Center. This technology allows the radiation oncologist to match the radiation dose to the shape and location of the tumor while avoiding damage to the surrounding healthy tissue and organs. Rapid developments over the years have improved this technology even further, and now patients can complete their radiation therapy in less time with fewer side effects and higher cure rates.
Advantages of IMRT:
- Improves cancer cure rates.
- Reduces the radiation side effects.
- Protects surrounding normal tissue and vital areas of the neck, head, prostate and pelvis.
- Increases five-year cure rate in prostate cancer by 20 to 40 percent.
- Decreases long-term bowel side effects in prostate cancer patients by 90 percent.