Dr. Chris Williams, Brigham & Women’s Hospital

MRI-Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy: Improving Precision in Cancer Therapy

Radiation therapy treatments have traditionally used x-ray imaging to ensure that a patient is accurately positioned before treating them with a beam of ionizing radiation. In the past several years, new treatment machines have been developed that combine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems with linear accelerators, enabling MRI-guidance before and during treatment delivery. These devices have the potential to improve our ability to visualize and treat soft-tissue tumors as well as to compensate for motion and changes in a patient’s anatomy.

This talk will discuss the technical aspects and clinical rationale of these machines as well as early results and the role of medical physicists in implementing an MRI-guided radiotherapy program.

Event flyer available here