Head & Neck Cancers
Cancers of the head and neck are often treated using radiation therapy. However, conventional and conformal radiation therapy typically damages the salivary glands. At Thompson Cancer Survival Center, radiation oncologists use Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) to treat head and neck cancers. This is the only treatment method that spares one or both of the saliva-producing parotid glands. Thompson has been using this technology since 2001 to prevent long-term dry mouth in patients. In addition, Thompson was the first facility in the region to use CT-based Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) to position head and neck cancer patients for treatment. CT-based IGRT allows physicians to pinpoint tumors using 3-D CT images, instead of x-ray films. Because the images are so precise, patients receive targeted radiation that spares normal tissues.		Radiation doses for an Intensity Modulated Head & Neck Treatment. Radiation Dose Shown in Red, Green, and Yellow. Parotids Shown in Light Blue Left Parotid Gland Outlined in Blue CT images taken on the treatment machine (shown in yellow) are used to align the patient for treatment using reference CT images (shown in gray).

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