Clinical Applications of MRI in Radiotherapy Planning

Abstract

MRI has been adopted as part of the standard planning workflow of multiple tumor sites in radiotherapy. While computed tomography remains the standard of care for dose calculation, the use of MRI in radiotherapy planning allows for higher-quality delineation of target volumes and organs at risk. Increased accuracy of delineation, combined with the possibilities of functional imaging, has the potential to improve therapeutic ratios and enhance individualized approaches in radiotherapy planning. In this chapter, we review the applications and evidence for the use of MRI in radiotherapy planning in head and neck, central nervous system, prostate, gynecological, gastrointestinal, breast, and lung cancer sites.