Radiation therapy, which uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells, is very effective in treating cervical cancer and is the preferred treatment for advanced-stage cervical cancer. Penn radiation oncologists are recognized leaders in techniques that target radiation precisely to the treatment area while sparing normal tissue
Conformal radiation therapy
Conformal radiation therapy shapes the radiation treatment beam to the shape of the tumor. This technology gives us more control when treating cervical cancer.
In conformal radiation, a special computer uses computed tomography (CT) imaging scans to create 3-D maps of the location of the cancer in the body. The system permits delivery of radiation from several directions and the beams are shaped, or conformed, to match the shape of the cancer. Conformal radiation therapy limits radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue as well as the tissue in the beam's path.
Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) uses frequent imaging during a course of radiation therapy to improve the precision and accuracy of the delivery of the radiation treatment. In IGRT, the linear accelerators (machines that deliver radiation) are equipped with imaging technology that takes pictures of the tumor immediately before or even during the time radiation is delivered.
Specialized computer software compares images of the tumor to images taken during the simulation to establish the treatment plan. Necessary adjustments can then be made to your position and/or the radiation beams to more precisely target radiation at the cancer and avoid the healthy surrounding tissue.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a type of high-precision radiotherapy using computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to tumors or specific areas within the tumors.
Using 3-D computed tomography (CT) images of the patient in conjunction with computerized dose calculations, IMRT allows the radiation dose to conform more precisely to the three-dimensional shape of the tumor by controlling, or modulating, the intensity of the radiation beam in multiple small volumes. The therapy allows higher radiation doses to be focused on regions within the tumor while minimizing the dose to surrounding normal critical structures.
Proton therapy
Proton therapy is external beam radiotherapy in which protons are directed at a tumor. The radiation dose that is given through protons is very precise, and limits the exposure of normal tissues. This allows the radiation dose delivered to the tumor to be increased beyond conventional radiation. The result is a better chance for curing the cancer with fewer harmful side effects.
Currently, Abramson Cancer Center researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are learning how proton therapy can be used to treat positive para-aortic lymph nodes from cervical cancer.