GI cancers may be treated with IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) or 3D conformal radiation therapy. IGRT (image guided radiation therapy) employs conebeam CT and soft tissue matching to localize the tumor and minimize dose to healthy tissues. As structures in the abdominal region move with respiration the Bodine Center for Cancer Treatment has available a GE LightSpeed-16 CT simulator with 4D capabilities to assess tumor motion. There are a number of ways to control tumor motion during the deliver of radiation. The active breathing coordinator may be used to coach patients to hold their breath during "beam-on" time. Various compression devices may also be employed to decrease motion while breathing. The department offers a variety of devices to best suit each patient with a comfortable and most effective treatment immobilization option.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology collaborates with the departments of Interventional Radiology, Medical Oncology, and Nuclear Medicine to provide treatment to patients with primary liver cancer or liver metastasis with selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). This targeted therapy with SIR-spheres or Theraspheres delivers beta radiation to liver tumors by injecting Y-90 radioactive microspheres into the hepatic artery. This localized radiation spares as much healthy liver as possible. Liver metastases may also be treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) utilizing high level of positional accuracy with CBCT.
Click here for more information on SIR-Spheres, or view a movie at http://www.sirtex.com/video/SKY_RADIO_CNN_SEGMENT_FINAL_11-17-08_Sirtex2.mov
Click here for more information about Theraspheres
