TREATMENT PLANNING

With this article I will be telling you about the treatment of a patient. One thing should always be kept in mind that the main focus of treatment is always on the accuracy i.e. we have to restrict the amount of dose which healthy tissues are getting as much as possible. The procedure normally followed during radiotherapy of a patient takes around 25-30 days in most of the cases.
Once the person is suspected to have cancer he/she has to get CT scan done. The CT scan helps to localize the cancer. The correct position as well as its size and shape are very important. The CT scan consists of number of images called slices. These images are then sent to Treatment Planning System (TPS). This is a software that is used to plan the treatment. The person behind the planning is a Medical Physicist. With this software, the amount of dose and its distribution in relation to the affected area is decided. The dose delivered to the patient is calculated in Centigray(cgy) and is monitored in Monitoring units(MU). While the treatment planning is done the patient undergoes another procedure. Here body of the patients is marked to locate the tumor physically. These markings are done on the basis of CT images. These marks are maintained throughout the treatment because the treatment is done on the basis of these marks. Once the planning is complete, markings are done the treatment can be started. The course of treatment varies from patient to patient. I will be following up with the treatment in my next article.