Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

Consultation

Introduction

Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is the use of imaging during radiotherapy to improve the precision and accuracy of treatment delivery.
IGRT can be used to treat tumors in areas of the body that move, such as the lungs, with more effectiveness.

Radiation therapy machines are equipped with imaging technology to image the tumor before and during treatment. By comparing these images to the reference images taken during simulation, the patient’s position and/or the radiation beams may be directed more precisely to target the radiation dose to the tumor. To help align and target the radiation equipment, some IGRT procedures may use –

  • Fiducial markers
  • Ultrasound
  • MRI
  • X-ray images of bone structure
  • CT scan
  • 3-D body surface mapping
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