If a patient had a brain tumor, a specially fitted mask would help immobilize the head for the latest radiation technology. This is how a cancer patient is prepared for a revolutionary new way to treat the most difficult kinds of cancer. It’s called IMRT.

"It works in almost a magical kind of way, conforming to the tumor, while sparing the surrounding critical tissue," says Dr. Patrick McKenna, radiation oncologist with Alegent Health.

Find out more about Patrick McKenna, M.D.

To do that, the medical team spends hours precisely mapping the treatment area. Ultrounds detect the slightest internal change so the radiation beams can be adjusted. This allows doctors to use a much higher dose of radiation to kill cancer cells.

The treatment itself takes about fifteen minutes and the patients are completely immobile while the radiation does its work. While the patient is here receiving targeted doses of radiation, the radiation therapist is in a separate control room making sure that the patient is receiving the exact dosage as planned.

IMRT technology is expensive and used now for the most difficult to treat cases of head, neck and prostate cancers. It can also be helpful when cancer is difficult to treat and comes back.

"It helps us in avoiding the eyes, the optic nerves, spinal canal and things of that nature," says Dr. McKenna.

The goal is a better outcome without the harsh side effects.

Find out more about the Alegent Health Cancer Center.