For most men this is a great concern when deciding on a treatment plan for prostate cancer. Like traditional radiation therapy, treatment sessions only take a few minutes each day for about eight weeks. During treatment, most men are able to continue their normal daily routines. Currently, 3-D conformal radiation therapy is being used primarily to treat prostate cancer, but is showing great promise in the treatment of malignant brain tumors as well. Imperato and Posner feel that it will enhance conventional radiation therapy for many types of cancer.
Computer software offers a three-dimensional view of a patient's tumor.
On the left image of the prostate, the green illustrates the area that will be treated with the 3-D CRT, while the image on the right shows how the conventional techniques treat a much larger volume of normal tissue.