In tomotherapy, radiation is aimed at a cancer from multiple directions. A 3-D image of the tumor is obtained before treatment begins. As the patient lies on a special table, a machine which holds the source of the radiation moves around the patient. The machine can then deliver the highest possible dose of radiation to the cancer while less radiation gets into nearby tissues. Because the machine rotates in a spiral pattern, it is also called helical tomotherapy. This is one kind of “intensity-modulated radiation therapy” or IMRT.
Dr. Kaplan
