Three-Dimensional Radiation Treatment Planning (continued from privious page): In the past, the standard radiation therapy simulation took approximately an hour to an hour and a half, and required the patient to stay still for that period of time. Plain x-rays and fluoroscopy were performed to localize the radiation treatment fields and mark the patient. This was often tedious and uncomfortable for the patients, who were required to lie in special positions. Now, with conformal therapy, radiation treatment planning takes place in a matter of minutes and the patient receives a reduced radiation dose resulting in tighter radiation fields. Patients undergoing a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy are expected to have significantly fewer side effects.
Using these scans, physicians are able to reconstruct in three-dimensional space, tumor volumes, critical normal tissues and the relations to the tumor volume, as well as the bones and other organs.
