Conformal radiotherapy is a type of radiotherapy in which the beams are shaped specifically to individual tumour sites, and organs that are not being treated, but are radiosensitive, are shielded from the radiation, for example, heart or lungs in a breast treatment or a rectum in a prostate treatment. This ensures the best possible quality of life after treatment.
Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)
IMRT is a type of conformal radiotherapy where the dose varies across the width of the beam. This allows different parts of the tumour to be given different doses whilst still shielding other organs.
Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) is a new type of IMRT in which the machine continuously reshapes and changes the intensity of the radiation beam as it moves around the body. Giving the radiotherapy in this way makes it very accurate, shortens the treatment time, and uses a lower overall dose of radiation.
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