Radiation Oncology
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Plan
Once the simulation is finished, the planning begins. A dosimetrist—a specialist in treatment planning—will work closely with your physician and a physicist in this process. The dosimetrist will first enter information from the CAT scan into a computer system designed specifically for radiation treatment planning.
Working closely with the radiation oncologist and others on the team, the dosimetrist will then use these images to define the treatment areas as well as any tissues that must be avoided during treatment. With this information in place, the treatment planning system can then develop an individual plan for how the radiation will be given. The radiation oncologist and dosimetrist will review this plan and decide how doses will be distributed in your body before treatments are given.
Once a treatment plan is in place, the dosimetrist and radiation oncologist will review the plan and find the correct combination of radiation energy, beam angles and field shapes to treat the areas of concern. The final information is then sent to the linear accelerators in our Radiation Oncology Department in preparation for the first treatment.
While the dosimetrist is working on the treatment plan, a physicist will check the calibration of the linear accelerator to assure your treatments are correct.
In general, the planning process takes about a week to complete. Because of its complexity, IMRT requires more planning time. As a result, treatment may not begin as quickly. The treatments themselves should last slightly longer but less than 30 minutes, and side effects are generally milder, since the radiation is targeted more precisely at the tumor and away from healthy tissue.