Nuclear Oncology

Posts Tagged ‘External beam radiation therapy’

The radiation therapist brings the patient to the treatment room and places it on the treatment couch of the linear accelerator in exactly the same position used for simulation, using the same restraints. The therapist places the patient carefully guided laser alignment and the marks he did to the patient during the simulation. They often use some form of imaging before delivering the treatment to verify the accuracy of patient readiness. Some types of images that can be used include X-rays, ultrasound and cone beam CT. Then the therapist leaves the room and turns on the linear accelerator from outside. You can use from one or more directions, and beams up to several minutes for each field.

The treatment process can last from 10 to 30 minutes each day, and most time is spent placing the patient in the right position and take pictures. The duration of treatment of a patient depends on the method of administration of treatment such as IMRT and dose applied. The duration of each treatment will usually be the same from day to day. Read the rest of this entry »

External beam radiation therapy (EBT) is a method for managing a beam of high energy x-rays to patient’s tumor. The beam is produced outside the patient (usually a linear accelerator, see below) and goes to the tumor. These high-energy X-rays can deposit their dose in the area where the tumor to kill cancer cells and careful planning to avoid affecting surrounding normal tissue. No radiation sources are placed inside the patient’s body.

External beam radiation therapy is used to treat these diseases as well as many others:

* Breast cancer
* Colorectal cancer (colon and rectum)
* Head and neck cancer
* Lung cancer
* Prostate Cancer
* Brain tumors
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