Is IMRT radiation safe?

IMRT is a tremendous advance in the safe and effective delivery of radiation. However, it also requires much more time and resources from cancer clinics, radiation oncologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, nurses and their support staff to be done correctly.

What type of radiation does IMRT use?

IMRT uses multiple small photon or proton beams of varying intensities to precisely irradiate a tumor. The radiation intensity of each beam is controlled, and the beam shape changes throughout each treatment.

What is the success rate of IMRT?

Several studies have reported the survival rates in head and neck cancer patients after IMRT, and the reported 2- or 3-year overall survival rates range from 67% to 92.1%, the locoregional progression-free survival rates range from 64% to 87%, and the distant metastasis-free survival rates range from 76.3% to 92.7%.

What is the success rate of IMRT for prostate cancer?

The overall five-year survival rate was 98.5% (95% CI, 97.0%–100%) and 98.4% (97.1%–99.7%, p = 0.0139) in IG-IMRT and LDR-BT, respectively; it was 99.0% (97.9% for IG-IMRT and 98.6% for LDR-BT, p = 0.0373) for the high-risk group, 98.3% (100% and 97.4%, p = 0.9765) for the intermediate IG-IMRT, and 99.5% (97.9% and …

What is the average number of radiation treatments for prostate cancer?

Generally, about 1 to 4 brief treatments are given over 2 days, and the radioactive substance is removed each time. After the last treatment the catheters are removed. For about a week after treatment, you may have some pain or swelling in the area between your scrotum and rectum, and your urine may be reddish-brown.

How much does IMRT cost?

Results. Mean utilities for patients receiving CRT were 0.802 (standard deviation 0.221) while the mean utilities for patients receiving IMRT were 0.901 (standard deviation 0.112). The expected mean cost of patients undergoing IMRT was $52,170 with a survival of 7.62 quality-adjusted life years (QALY).

Can I take vitamins during radiation?

Taking small amounts of antioxidants does not affect your radiation treatment. Small amounts of antioxidants like those found in food and some multivitamins are safe.