Intensity modulated radiation therapy

Newly diagnosed cancer patients should spend as much time researching a radiation treatment facility as they would spend picking out a new car or a home.

“More than 50 percent of people diagnosed with cancer will have to undergo radiation therapy,” said Dr. E. Brian Butler, chief of radiation oncology at The Methodist Cancer Center in Houston. “It's very important to do your homework because, as a cancer patient, this will be one of the most important decisions you will make.”

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), pioneered by The Methodist Hospital in March, 1994, is a procedure that gives radiation oncologists the ability to shape and focus multiple small beams of radiation and deliver them directly to the tumor in a circular manner. This drastically reduces the amount of good tissue that is sometimes damaged during radiation therapy.

“You need a staff of highly trained professionals to make sure the patient receives the best treatment possible,” Butler said. “For instance, at Methodist, we have seven Ph.D. level physicists, six dosimetrists and 16 therapists trained in IMRT. All of these people play a vital role in providing the type of care these patients need.”

There are a number of questions a person should ask when searching for a radiation therapy facility:

• Does the facility have an active program and do the doctors have any papers published regarding their experiences with IMRT?
• Does the facility have an active quality assurance program that evaluates both short-term and long-term side effects?
• Does the facility have a full-time physicist, dosimetrist, radiation therapist and a consulting physician?
• Did the doctors offer all treatment options, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation?
• How long has the facility been practicing IMRT?
• Is there a financial incentive for the referring physician to send patients to a certain facility?
• Does the facility have an active cancer network within the community whereby they participate in cancer screening and awareness?
• Is the facility practicing outcomes research?

It's important to choose a qualified facility because once radiation treatment is given, it cannot be taken back. It does not dissipate through your body like a drug. If radiation is not delivered correctly, it can cause long-term toxicity.

“Cancer care requires a great deal of attention to the patient during and after the course of radiation,” said Butler. “There is a limited amount of radiation that each part of the body can receive, so finding the right facility that has highly skilled professionals and the best equipment, is a critical part of coming out on the positive end of a tough situation.”