Tumors Precisely Pinpointed With IGRT

The OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care providess Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) in its radiation oncology department, the first facility in Rockford to offer this advanced technology for cancer treatment.

IGRT uses CT imaging that enables physicians to obtain high-resolution images which pinpoint tumor sites so that patient positioning can be adjusted, if necessary, before each treatment.

Traditionally, radiation oncologists compensated for changes in the tumor location or the patient's breathing patterns by treating a margin of healthy tissue around the tumor. The guidance system enables the physician to precisely locate the tumor to minimize the amount of healthy tissue that is exposed to radiation.

The OSF Center for Cancer Care uses the image guidance system manufactured by Varian Medical Systems, which is known for sophisticated, leading-edge technology in radiation treatment delivery. The on-board imaging system allows for adjustment to the slightest variance in the tumor's position, even compensating for the patient's breathing, weight change or tumor movement.

In addition to IGRT, OSF Saint Anthony offers sterotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy to patients who previously would have been referred to Madison or the Chicago area for this type of treatment.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a method of delivering high doses of ionizing radiation to small intracranial targets. This type of cancer treatment involves very precise radiation delivered in a single session so that the desired target is irradiated, sparing adjacent normal tissue. OSF Saint Anthony radiation oncologists collaborate with local neurosurgeons in the planning and delivery of this specialized form of radiation treatment.