ABSTRACT
The goal of conformal radiation therapy is to deliver a curative dose to the tumor while keeping the dose to nearby tissues to a minimum. This is accomplished by judicious selection of beam angles and careful shaping of the radiation fields. In recent years, advancements in radiation therapy delivery technology have enabled more detailed sculpting of therapeutic radiation beams in space and time, making it possible to escalate tumor doses and decrease treatment-related side effects. These technological advances include intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), tomotherapy, volumetric modulated arch therapy (VMAT), stereotactic radiotherapy, passive-scattering proton therapy, and intensity-modulated proton therapy.
