Current Status of Anatomical Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Brachytherapy and External Beam Radiotherapy Planning and Delivery. Issue 12 (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ingle, M.; Lalondrelle, S.
• Is Part Of: Clinical oncology. Volume 32:Issue 12(2020)
• Page Start: 817
• Page End: 827
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: Diffusion-weighted MRI -- gynaecological cancer -- image-guided brachytherapy -- image-guided radiotherapy -- MR-linac -- MRI-guided radiotherapy; Oncology -- Periodicals; Tumors -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Radiotherapy -- Periodicals; Neoplasms -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Radiotherapy; Cancer -- Treatment; Oncology; Medical radiology; Radiotherapy; Tumors; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 616.994
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2020.10.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0936-6555

Abstract

Abstract: Radiotherapy planning and delivery have dramatically improved in recent times. Imaging is key to a successful three-dimensional and increasingly four-dimensional based pathway with computed tomography embedded as the backbone modality. Computed tomography has significant limitations for many tumour sites where soft-tissue discrimination is suboptimal, and where magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has largely superseded in the diagnostic arena. MRI is increasingly used together with computed tomography in the radiotherapy planning pathway and is now established as a prerequisite for several tumours. With the advent of combined MRI and linear accelerator (MR-linac) systems, a transition to MRI-based radiotherapy planning is becoming reality, with increasing experience and research involving these new platforms. In this overview, we aim to highlight how magnetic resonance-guided imaging has improved radiotherapy, using gynaecological malignancies to illustrate, in both external beam radiotherapy and image-guided brachytherapy, and will assess the early evidence for magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy using combined MR-linac systems.