MRI-guided radiation: Real-time images, improved accuracy

MRI-guided radiation therapy provides real-time MRI images of your tumor. For some patients, tumors located in the chest or abdomen can sometimes move as you breathe making it difficult to be sure that only the tumor is being targeted. This process allows us to see your tumor so the radiation dose is not given until the tumor is located where it should be. 

UW Health was only the second health system in the world to provide this unique treatment. We use the ViewRay system by MRIdian.

Your clinical team programs the radiation beam to only treat the tumor while it’s in the intended location. Our ability to constantly adjust the radiation beam reduces the amount of healthy tissue affected by radiation. The chance to tightly focus the radiation on the tumor lets us better balance increasing dosage to the tumor with protecting healthy tissues.

Who is it for? 

MRI-guided radiation can provide better treatment for complex tumors that move substantially when you breathe or as you digest food.

Lots of planning takes place before your first MRI-guided radiation treatment. 

Your care team creates your radiation treatment plan by taking pretreatment and planning images. Those images are aligned with the radiation delivery beam.

During treatment, the system:

• Monitors your anatomy in real-time

• Stops the radiation beam if the tumor moves outside the target area

• Restarts the radiation when it moves back into the target area

The continuous MRI scans let your care team adjust your radiation therapy dosage and target area over time. You get radiation therapy that zeroes in on your tumor.