Posted on May 1, 2001 at 9:10 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB has become the first cancer center in Alabama to offer a new system of radiation treatment that allows more precise targeting of tumors with much less damage to nearby tissues. Only a sprinkling of major medical centers in the nation currently have the new technology.

A new system called intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) “brings UAB to the forefront of a revolution that is changing the way radiation will be delivered to patients all across the country,” according to Dr. James A. Bonner, chairman of radiation oncology at UAB.

Instead of being delivered in a single, uniform beam of x-rays that carry more potential for damaging normal tissue, IMRT allows the beam to be divided into many tiny radiation “beamlets” of different strength. The beam is delivered through a linear accelerator fitted with a computer-adjustable 120-leaf mechanism that eliminates the need for more cumbersome ways of shaping the beam to match that of the tumor.

In addition, the system can compensate for movement of the patient’s body due to breathing so radiation is delivered only when the target moves inside preset parameters.

“We now have the potential to substantially improve both patient comfort and cure rates by protecting healthy tissue while delivering higher doses to the tumor with laser-like precision,” Bonner said.

He said the new system incorporates powerful computers that help doctors consider thousands of factors to arrive at an optimal treatment strategy. “Conventional technology required manual treatment planning that limited us to only a few possible choices,” said Bonner.

Dr. John Fiveash, assistant professor of radiation oncology, said IMRT is being used at UAB for patients with prostate, head-and-neck, breast, and brain tumors and is of special utility for children needing radiation.

“With IMRT, it’s not just having a better cure rate, it’s also having a better quality of life because it spares critical nerves, glands and other tissues that are nearby,” Fiveash said. “For prostate cancer we want to keep from damaging the urinary tract, for example. For head and heck cancer, this technology can potentially reduce the chance that salivary glands will dry up or that the larynx and swallowing would be impaired.”

Bonner and Fiveash both trained at the University of Michigan, where IMRT technology was pioneered. Bonner spent eight years at the Mayo Clinic prior to being recruited as chair of the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology. He and Fiveash said that UAB will collaborate with Varian Medical Systems, the manufacturer of its SmartBeam high resolution IMRT system, to conduct clinical trials and further refine the technology. “We expect to be a test site for advancements in Varian’s technology,” said Bonner.

He said IMRT technology will complement the strong areas of cancer research and treatment at UAB. “This context includes integrating radiation therapy with treatments by monoclonal antibodies, new cancer drugs, targeted immunotherapy and gene therapy,” Bonner said.

Downloadable Images:

Dr. James A. Bonner
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Dr. John Fiveash
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Patient and Technician #1
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Patient and Technician #2
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Patient and Technician #3
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Patient and Technician #4
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