Image guided radiotherapy of the prostate

Abstract

This paper describes the prototype of an integrated system for cone- beam CT guided radiotherapy of prostate cancer. The system works by acquir­ing a 3D image set just prior to treatment delivery. This image set is matched automatically with bones and prostate defined in the planning CT to determine the required couch translation and to determine a best fitting treatment plan which is subsequently delivered. Because of the improved localization of the prostate on the treatment machine, potentially smaller safety margins can be ap­plied and a higher dose can be delivered leading to a higher cure rate without increasing damage to healthy tissues.