IG IMRT technology is a boon for cervix cancer patients

@nag228

Mumbai: With the use of Image Guided Intensive Modulated Radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital have found a way to ease the suffering of women suffering from uterine cancer. It is said that with the use of the IG IMRT technology, the chances of side effects have been reduced by around 97%.

About 20 percent of women require radiation therapy after the operation. Women have to endure various side effects from the old radiation procedure, but with the usage of the IG IMRT technology, doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital made the side effects almost non-existent.

The doctors of Tata Memorial Hospital had conducted a randomized study on 300 patients wherein half of the patients underwent surgery by the advanced and highly precise technology in radiation technology like Image Guided Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IG IMRT) technique and half of them were by using the standard radiation (Three-dimensional conformal Radiation). In this case, the Radiology Department of Tata Hospital has done such a study, which is going to reduce the pain of women suffering from uterine cancer.

Professor of Radiation Oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital and lead researcher Dr. Supriya Chopra said, “Every year 90,000 women in the country are suffering from cervix cancer. Out of these, 20 thousand to 30 thousand women require radiotherapy after surgery. When radiotherapy was given with the old method, it affects the organs other than the prescribed organ, due to which women have to deal with many types of physical problems for a long time. Then came the IG-IMRT technique for radiotherapy. The technique was developed 10 to 12 years ago, but it was not used for the surgery.  We used this technique and found that the evidence of side effects of radiation in women is negligible.”

This study was conducted by doctors at the Tata Memorial Hospital which has proved to be beneficial for patients. Now other countries can treat patients and reduce the suffering of women suffering from Cervix cancer. This study has been published in the world famous ‘Journal of Clinical Oncology’ (American Society of Oncology).

The study involved 300 women with Cervix cancer who required radiotherapy post-surgery.  With the help of IG-IMRT technology, radiation reaches the cancer affected area only and it does not have any side effects on other organs. We found that 97 percent of the women did not see any side effects. With the help of this technique, women can lead a normal life.

“With the old method of radiotherapy, radiation reaches the patient’s intestines, urinary bladder and other organs as well, due to which there is swelling in the stool and urinary pipe. Diarrhoea, heaviness in the stomach and other minor stomach related problems occur for a long time, but with the help of IG-IMRT technology and doctor’s plan, there will be no side effects. This has greatly benefited the patient. No one had done such a study before. From this study, there will be a lot of benefit in the treatment in the coming days,” said Dr Sudeep Gupta, Director, Tata Memorial Advance Center for Treatment Research and Education in Cancer, Kharghar.