What is IMRT?

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a type of 3D therapy that creates images of your tumor as a machine moves around you to deliver radiation. During IMRT, your radiation therapist shapes the beams and aims them at your tumor from several different angles. They can also adjust the beams’ intensities, so normal tissues get less radiation, while your tumor gets more. The targeted radiation shrinks the tumor and kills cancer cells.

Many types of cancer can benefit from IMRT. Talk with your care team to see if IMRT is right for you and your treatment plan. 

Benefits of IMRT

At El Camino Health, we offer two types of IMRT — conventional IMRT and RapidArc IMRT. While both options have benefits, RapidArc IMRT offers:

• Precision: IMRT gives your radiation oncologist the ability to aim radiation at cancer cells, while avoiding healthy cells
• Speed: RapidArc is up to eight times faster than conventional IMRT.
• Comfort: Because IMRT treatment targets the tumor with a 360-degree rotation, treatment sessions last two minutes or less. That means you’re more comfortable and don’t spend as much time in active treatment.
• Accuracy: A shorter treatment session reduces the likelihood of the tumor moving during treatment, which can happen from normal bodily functions like gas or your bladder filling. Less movement helps improve treatment accuracy.

What to Expect During IMRT

Your IMRT experience may differ depending on your type of cancer, but most patients follow the same basic steps.

On treatment day, in a private treatment room at our Radiation Treatment Center, your team makes sure you’re in the appropriate position. The radiation therapist then leaves the room, but they can see you on a video monitor, and you can talk to them through a two-way intercom. The radiation machine shifts positions, moving all the way around you. It directs high-energy X-ray beams as radiation toward your tumor.

You shouldn’t feel anything during the IMRT session. The machine does not touch your body, and you can leave as soon as treatment completes. Most sessions last about 30 minutes. Many patients do IMRT daily for several weeks, but your specific dosing depends on your treatment plan.