MRI at the Time of External Beam Treatment

Abstract

Magnetic resonance image-guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) offers simultaneous tracking of the target during treatment delivery while taking advantage of the excellent soft tissue contrast of MRI for daily tumor localization. This chapter highlights the state of the art for MR-IGRT clinical applications, including details regarding MR-based tri-cobalt, low-field and high-field MR-linacs. In addition, treatment planning considerations, respiratory gating, tumor tracking, and adaptive radiation therapy are described. Specific applications to clinical disease sites are provided along with emerging clinical applications.