The optimal management of clinically localized prostate cancer remains controversial. The technique of ultrasound-guided transperineal radioactive seed implants has rapidly gained popularity in the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer with a five-year disease-specific survival of 90%. This methodology has several potential advantages to external beam radiotherapy or other implantation techniques, such as (1) pre-treatment planning; [...]

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a revolutionary new technology in the planning and delivery of external radiation. This methodology varies the intensity of the radiation beam across the treatment field, enabling the radiation oncologist to deliver high doses of radiation to volumes that tightly conform to irregular tumor geometries. Nearby, normal structures benefit from less [...]

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a specialized application of 3-D conformal treatment planning for treatment of an assortment of brain tumors and arteriovenous malformations. The technique delivers a high dose with millimeter tolerances, with a sharp dose gradient. Dr. Lars Leksell, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, first described SRS in 1949. However, practice of [...]

Recent technological advances are having a profound impact on radiation treatment of cancer. New equipment and enhanced computer technologies foster the radiation oncologist’s ability to deliver radiation more precisely, increasing the dose to tumor targets and reducing the dose to normal tissues and critical structures. New treatment protocols have the potential to improve tumor control [...]