What is Adaptive Radiation Therapy?
Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) is a type of radiation treatment that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide advanced imaging of your tumor during radiation. This imaging helps your medical team modify your treatment in real time during a therapy session. We can adjust for any changes to the size or position of the tumor, as well as body changes or movements.
Adaptive radiation therapy can treat different types of cancer, but it’s often most helpful for people with cancer tumors that move a lot. Examples include lung cancer, breast cancer or pancreatic cancer.
Benefits of Adaptive Radiation Therapy
Some general benefits of adaptive radiation therapy include:
- Custom care: The adaptive radiation therapy approach allows for a high level of customization during treatment.
- Precise treatment: Adaptive radiation therapy shows your medical team the precise size and location of the treatment area during each session. That way, they can deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor without harming healthy tissues.
- Convenient sessions: Adaptive radiation therapy doesn’t require incisions or hospital stays, and most sessions are finished in 15 minutes.
Talk to your care team to see if and how adaptive radiation therapy might benefit you.
Planning for Your Appointment
Before you receive adaptive radiation therapy, you attend a preparation visit. At this visit, your care team takes detailed, 3D images to determine the exact shape, size and location of the tumor. They use this information to create your personalized treatment plan. Your plan defines the dose of radiation you need, the best angles to target the tumor and your treatment schedule.
After the preparation visit, you attend treatment sessions to receive adaptive radiation therapy based on your treatment plan. Your oncology coordinator helps make sure you have everything you need before, during and after your visit. Ask them any questions you have at any time.
What to Expect During Adaptive Radiation Therapy
Your adaptive radiation therapy sessions take place in a private treatment room at our Radiation Treatment Center. You can expect these basic steps.
- Get into position: First, we help you get into a comfortable position on the treatment table.
- Take tumor images: Your team takes new images of your tumor to verify the tumor’s exact size and location. We make any adjustments as needed.
- Start radiation: A machine called a linear accelerator (LINAC) rotates around you to deliver a beam of radiation. You shouldn’t feel anything — just like during an X-ray. The actual radiation only lasts a few minutes. Your care team won’t be in the room with you, but they are in constant communication with you through a video monitor and two-way intercom system.
Most patients can leave right after treatment and return to normal activities the same day.
Cancer Patient Stories
Sometimes, it helps to learn from others who’ve had cancer. Read and watch stories from cancer patients who share their experiences with diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
How Radiation Helped Treat George’s Throat Cancer
After George was told he had throat cancer, he needed seven weeks of radiation, followed by three sessions of chemo. He’s thankful for the supportive care he received at El Camino Health, so he could focus on healing.