PHAS Colloquia Series

The field of Radiation Therapy has seen many technological advances over the last decade.  Significant improvements can be attributed to the application of new imaging modalities along with better tools for controlling the spatial deposition of radiation dose.

The non-invasive nature of radiation treatment is arguably its best feature.  Unfortunately, because the tumour cannot be visualized directly, it also makes it more difficult to ensure that radiation dose is delivered accurately.  An ideal radiation delivery system would involve fast acquisition of 3D patient images for positional accuracy  followed be equally fast radiation treatment to ensure that the tumour has not moved since the images were acquired.

Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) was developed with the goal of reducing treatment time while improving spatial control of the radiation dose.  With VMAT a precise dose distribution is delivered to the tumour during a single rotation of the linac around the patient.

Host: Dr. Richard Frayne

Poster (pdf)