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Principles of IMRT

  • Chapter
Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

Abstract

Although the goals of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) are the same as those of conventional treatments (maximize dose to target structures while minimizing dose to nearby normal tissues), some significant differences are present in the treatment planning and delivery processes. Here, we describe these differences and introduce considerations related to beam configurations, treatment plan objectives, and alternative approaches. Also described are some aspects of quality assurance (QA) that are specific to IMRT implementation (e.g., commissioning, patient-specific QA, and process QA) and potential unanticipated consequences of IMRT that must be addressed if IMRT is to be successfully used in the clinic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Physics, Unit 94, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Laurence E. Court Ph.D., Peter Balter Ph.D. & Radhe Mohan Ph.D.

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  1. Laurence E. Court Ph.D.
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  2. Peter Balter Ph.D.
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  3. Radhe Mohan Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Laurence E. Court Ph.D. .

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  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, Japan

    Yasumasa Nishimura

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Ritsuko Komaki

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Court, L.E., Balter, P., Mohan, R. (2015). Principles of IMRT. In: Nishimura, Y., Komaki, R. (eds) Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55486-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55486-8_2

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