Radiation therapy, conformal


A procedure that uses computers to create a 3-dimensional picture of the tumor in order to target the tumor as accurately as possible and give it the highest possible dose of radiation while sparing normal tissue as much as possible. It is also known as 3-D or conformational radiation therapy.

Conventional radiation therapy directs x-rays not only at the tumor but also unavoidably at nearby healthy tissue. Conformal radiation is meant to deliver a higher dose of radiation to the cancer without causing so much damage to surrounding tissues.

Conformal radiation therapy is in use to treat prostate cancer and is under study with other types of cancer including lung cancer, brain tumors and cancer of the head and neck.

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    Radiation therapy in which the source of radiation is a machine outside the body.

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    Radiation therapy in which a small container of radioactive material is implanted in the body, in or near the cancerous tumor.

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    The use of a number of precisely aimed beams of ionizing radiation, each coming from a different direction and meeting at a specific point, to deliver radiation treatment to that spot.

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    A procedure that uses computers to create a 3-dimensional picture of the tumor in order to target the tumor as accurately as possible and give it the highest possible dose of radiation while sparing normal tissue as much as possible. It is also known as 3-D conformal (or conformational) radiation therapy. Conventional radiation therapy directs […]


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