Real time MRI guided radiotherapy allows visualization of a tumor and surrounding anatomy of the patient who is receiving radiotherapy.
This treatment is a paradigm shift in precision radiotherapy, providing unprecedented accuracy, particularly for tumors in sensitive or mobile locations.
This procedure allows the treatment of high dose radiotherapy to areas with sensitive adjacent tissues, and that experience respiratory motion that renders the tumor a moving target.
This technique overcomes technical challenges by integrating adaptive planning to account for unpredictable day-to-day changes in anatomy and provides real MRI based motion management with automatic beam stopping respiratory gating.
Treatment with MRgRT is associated with fewer complications and toxicities.
MR together with a linear accelerator (MR-linac) allows for retreatment to areas to provide high dose therapy with narrow margins, that would otherwise not be possible.
MRgRT benefits is seen at its highest level of evidence is in the treatment of prostate cancer: findings include minmizing radiation to adjacent organs with reduction in acute symptoms of genitourinary toxicity and gastrointestinal events.