Percutaneous radiotherapy in tumor treatment. Principles

Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation for therapeutic purposes. On the basis of legal regulations (radiation protection laws, DIN standards) and clinical expertise, the course and the possibilities of modern percutaneous radiotherapy are described. The process of radiation treatment can be divided into four blocks: indications and patient information, radiotherapy planning, irradiation, monitoring of therapy results and follow-up. In recent years, a number of new irradiation procedures that allow the radiation dose to be more precisely focused on the target volume sparing healthy tissue have been introduced into daily routine. These improvements can be used to reduce toxicity or intensify therapy with improved local tumor control. In addition, modern radiation therapy allows an optimized combination with local surgery and systemic chemotherapy in the context of multimodality oncological concepts.