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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2022; 43(01): 047-051
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742446
Review Article

Modern Radiation Oncology: From IMRT to Particle Therapy—Present Status and the Days to Come

Sarbani Ghosh Laskar 
1   Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
,
Sangeeta Kakoti
1   Department of Radiation Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
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Abstract

There has been tremendous technological development in the field of radiation oncology, mainly during the last few decades. Parallel advancements in imaging and accelerator technologies have contributed significantly to the same. Present-day radiation therapy is aimed at precision, in terms of physical accuracy of both its planning and delivery. This has been made possible by improvements in defining the target (use of various radiological and functional imaging modalities), advanced radiotherapy planning methods (intensity-modulated radiation therapy and recent emergence of particle therapy), and robust verification techniques (image-guided radiation therapy). These developments have enabled delivery of adequate tumoricidal doses conforming to the target, thereby improving disease control with reduced normal tissue toxicity in a wide range of malignancies. Elucidation of molecular pathways determining radioresistance or systemic effects of radiotherapy and strategies for therapeutic manipulation of the same are also being explored. Overall, we look forward to ensuring basic radiotherapy access to all patients, and precision radiation therapy to appropriate candidates (triaged by disease anatomy or biology and associated cost-effectiveness).

Keywords

evolution - IMRT - radiation oncology

Sources of Support

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Authors' Contributions

Both authors contributed equally to the work.




Publication History

Article published online:
15 February 2022

© 2022. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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