IMRT allows prostate cancer patients to remain disease-free five years later
Millions of men buy Flomax to address any enlargement in the prostate gland.
Millions of men buy Flomax to address any enlargement in the prostate gland. Cancer in this region is one of the most common in males, but is also treatable, according to an article published in the journal Seminars in Radiation Oncology. An estimated 90 percent of patients who undergo a procedure known as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the early stages of prostate cancer are typically disease-free after five years.
The technique relies on three-dimensional images that give physicians a clear picture of the cancerous tumor and tissues in the vicinity, allowing them to tailor the radiation beams according to the severity of the disease. Doses can be customized for each patient in order to ensure that the tumor is eradicated without causing harm to healthy tissue in the bladder, rectum and femoral heads.
Duke University Medical Center researchers are hoping to both automate and optimize the development of IMRT treatment plans.
"It's a mathematically complex problem to solve," researcher Vorakarn Chanyavanich stated.. "Each patient comes in with their own geometry and needs to have their treatment plan customized. The process is done manually and takes about four to six hours per patient. What we'd like to do is provide high tumor dose, improve the dose sparing of critical organs and also reduce the time of treatment planning."
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