Latest in Cancer Technology

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

Increasing Power, Precision and Patient Comfort

The Donehower Center features a Linear Accelerator with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). For radiation therapy - which is used in more than half of all cancer treatments - IMRT delivers a more focused beam of radiation, increasing the precision with which the cancer cells are destroyed, and decreasing the chances that healthy tissue will be harmed in the process.

Delivering a more powerful dose to the tumor gives physicians a much greater chance of completely eradicating the tumor, rather than simply causing a temporary regression. This technology also enables physicians to use radiation therapy to treat areas that would have been considered too risky just a few years ago.

Respiratory Gating

Treatment Timed to Breathing

Respiratory gating is a powerful, non-invasive technique in which radiation treatment is timed to an individual's breathing pattern, targeting the tumor only when it is in the best range. When the patient breathes, the chest wall moves in and out, and any structures inside the chest and upper abdomen also move.

Respiratory gating is specifically used to treat cancers in the lung and upper abdomen, because it matches the radiation treatment to a patient's respiratory pattern. This approach decreases possible complications, side effects and damage to surrounding tissue, while using higher doses and getting better outcomes.