TY - JOUR
T1 - Image-Guided Radiotherapy
T2 - Has It Influenced Patient Outcomes?
AU - Bujold, Alexis
AU - Craig, Tim
AU - Jaffray, David
AU - Dawson, Laura A.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - Cancer control and toxicity outcomes are the mainstay of evidence-based medicine in radiation oncology. However, radiotherapy is an intricate therapy involving numerous processes that need to be executed appropriately in order for the therapy to be delivered successfully. The use of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), referring to imaging occurring in the radiation therapy room with per-patient adjustments, can increase the agreement between the planned and the actual dose delivered. However, the absence of direct evidence regarding the clinical benefit of IGRT has been a criticism. Here, we dissect the role of IGRT in the radiotherapy (RT) process and emphasize its role in improving the quality of the intervention. The literature is reviewed to collect evidence that supports that higher-quality dose delivery enabled by IGRT results in higher clinical control rates, reduced toxicity, and new treatment options for patients that previously were without viable options.
AB - Cancer control and toxicity outcomes are the mainstay of evidence-based medicine in radiation oncology. However, radiotherapy is an intricate therapy involving numerous processes that need to be executed appropriately in order for the therapy to be delivered successfully. The use of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), referring to imaging occurring in the radiation therapy room with per-patient adjustments, can increase the agreement between the planned and the actual dose delivered. However, the absence of direct evidence regarding the clinical benefit of IGRT has been a criticism. Here, we dissect the role of IGRT in the radiotherapy (RT) process and emphasize its role in improving the quality of the intervention. The literature is reviewed to collect evidence that supports that higher-quality dose delivery enabled by IGRT results in higher clinical control rates, reduced toxicity, and new treatment options for patients that previously were without viable options.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.semradonc.2011.09.001
DO - 10.1016/j.semradonc.2011.09.001
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22177878
AN - SCOPUS:83455210526
SN - 1053-4296
VL - 22
SP - 50
EP - 61
JO - Seminars in radiation oncology
JF - Seminars in radiation oncology
IS - 1
ER -