Dr. Christopher S. Walsh personally designed the Mid-Rivers Cancer Center
facility, bringing to the Northern Neck of Virginia accessibility to the most
advanced cancer treatment techniques to those who previously had to travel long
distances to receive their radiation therapy. This center features:
- Solid Brass
Compensator
Intensity-Modulated Radiation
Therapy (IMRT)
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Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT, is considered the most advanced radiation available to destroy cancer cells without damaging normal tissue. IMRT uses varying beam intensities to send radiation to the tumor site from the most favorable paths.
The beams may be moved dozens or hundreds of times and may each vary with a different intensity, resulting in radiation sculpted in three dimensions.
This method of radiation therapy allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered to the tumor while minimizing damage to surrounding vital organs. This type of radiation has opened the doors to patients who may not have been candidates for radiation because their tumors were located near vital organs.
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In other words, IMRT is a state-of-the-art treatment which gives radiation therapists the ability to "sculpt" the edges of a tumor, sparing the adjacent healthy tissue.
IMRT technology lets radiation oncologists deliver radiation to a tumor with more precision and accuracy, resulting in the potential for fewer side effects and higher cure rates.
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How does IMRT work?
Conventional radiation therapy techniques use radiation beams of uniform intensity to destroy the tumor cells in a patient's body. Although the tissues outside the radiation field can be protected by shaping the radiation beam to encompass the tumor, a column of tissue from the beam's entrance to its exit is indiscriminately irradiated.
Using the fact that not all tissue reacts to radiation in the same way, IMRT varies radiation intensity across the field. The radiation beam can also rotate around the patient, sending beams from a more favorable angle and location. By cross-firing the tumor with these beams of varying intensity from all possible angles and locations, a uniform dose of radiation is delivered to the tumor, while the effects on the sensitive structures surrounding the tumor are minimized.
During the IMRT treatment planning process, the oncologist utilizes a planning system
in which information is acquired about the location of the tumor and its surrounding structures from a patient's
X-ray and/or CT images. The oncologist maps the optimal angles and locations, and higher beam intensities are then assigned to these angles and locations. Once the treatment plan is generated, then
solid brass compensators
are created for each patient, and then a computer sends the
digital treatment plan to the radiation machine to deliver the
treatment .
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Solid
Brass Compensator
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What types of tumors are being treated with IMRT?
Because almost all tumors are surrounded by healthy tissues, IMRT can be applied to virtually any part of the human anatomy. The benefits of enhanced tumor control and reduced damage to normal tissue can be realized for most tumors suitable for radiation treatment, regardless of their size and shape.
What are the side effects of IMRT?
Because the radiation is sent to the tumor only through allowed paths, the side effects of IMRT, if any, are much less than with conventional treatment methods. The treatment is administered
on an outpatient basis. After the completion of treatment, most patients can resume their normal daily routine.
IMRT has been traditionally associated with major medical centers such as M.D. Anderson in Texas and Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New
York. Now this state-of-the-art technology is available to patients in their
own locality. The Mid-Rivers Cancer Center is dedicated to serving the needs of the
Northern-Neck community and providing hope to cancer patients and their families.
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- Solid Brass
Compensators and
Digital Treatment Planning
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A crucial component of IMRT is the solid brass compensator, a specially designed attachment
for the front of the linear accelerator (the radiation treatment
machine) that mold the beams to conform to the 3-dimensional shape of a
tumor. Based on a digital treatment plan created for each patient, the
compensator, also individually designed, moves during delivery of the beam in order to customize the radiation dosage to different areas of the tumor.
Each patient who receives IMRT will have three (3) to five (5) custom
milled solid brass compensators created for each treatment course. New studies presented at the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation (ASTRO) meeting this past November have shown that patients experienced fewer side effects when treated with IMRT than with 3-DCRT.
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Dr. Walsh has received recognition, awards and patents for his
work in patient safety in the radiation therapy process. This
includes a program, "Safe Practices in Radiation Oncology: A
Guide to Process Support" which was approved for continuing
education credit by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists
and the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board. Dr. Walsh has helped perfect this method of treatment
that dramatically reduces treatment time, increases patients' comfort and helps ensure that they receive the most effective dose of radiation, right at the site of the tumor.
- Computerized Tomography (CT)
Simulator
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Mid-Rivers Cancer Center
also features an on-site computerized
tomography (CT) simulator for patient convenience.
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