Other Advances in Radiation Therapy

More advances, according to Coleman, include:

  • hyperfractionated and accelerated radiation therapy
  • imaging
  • proton beam therapy
  • combination therapies
  • brachytherapy

Hyperfractionation uses a smaller individual dose to fraction size. The patient, though, is treated two times or more per day. The usual treatment is once per day. More treatments are needed because the dose is lower. The lower fraction size spares injury to healthy tissues.

Accelerated radiation uses standard fraction-size doses. But overall, more doses are given per week. So the total treatment time is shortened.

Molecular imaging can help the doctor better define the tumor area. It’s similar to what MRIs, PET scans, and CT scans do. It produces images of the tumor at a level not visible to the human eye. It’s hoped that molecular imaging will help scientists understand how the tumor behaves and how it responds to different treatments.