ginabeewell wrote:My doctor told me that the HAI pump would not be an option for me if I did radiation. Have you asked about that? It’s practically only by chance that we found out!
Agree with Gina! Radiation could eliminate the possibility of getting HAI treatment, so I'd think
long and hard about that.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are two types of radiation performed on liver tumors. IMRT is used when the tumors are close to critical organs or tissue. First they map your tumor in 3-D, then you have multiple sessions of radiation (commonly, five days a week for several weeks). With IMRT the radiation beam is shaped to the exact dimensions of your tumor so there's less collateral damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) combines IMRT and image-guided radiotherapy. They implant tiny markers into your tumor and use a CT scanner to guide the radiation to the tumor site. SBRT takes fewer sessions than IMRT (usually five or less).
texmexflute is right - SBRT requires "respiratory gating" - which is a fancy term for delivering radiation only at certain points in your breathing cycle. Holding your breath keeps the tumor from moving around when you're receiving radiation to minimize exposure to healthy tissue.
Have they mentioned RFA? Or is the tumor too large for it? RFA doesn't involve radiation so it leaves open the possibility of an HAI pump later on if he needs it.
Hope this helps!
Juliej