Cutting-edge MRI-guided radiation therapy provides real-time view of tumors

An innovative new technology is now providing radiation oncologists at MD Anderson Cancer Center a real-time view of tumors while they use cancer-killing radiation beams. These live images help keep the radiation beam directly on target throughout every treatment, allowing for a degree of precision and monitoring capabilities that were not previously possible. The technology, known as the MR-linac, merges a high-strength magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine and a linear accelerator into a single device. The MRI machine provides high-quality, real-time images of tumors as they’re blasted with radiation beams from the linear accelerator.