Dr. Koyfman on IMRT and SBRT Reirradiation for Head and Neck Cancer

Shlomo Koyfman, MD, associate staff, radiation oncology, Cleveland Clinic, discusses intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) reirradiation for patients with head and neck cancer.

There are 2 different ways to conduct reirradiation, explains Koyfman. There is IMRT-based reirradiation, which is usually for 6 or 7 weeks, and there is SBRT, which is high doses of only a few treatments.

When compared, it was determined that the safety of both were better than previously thought. However, this comparison seemed to suggest that the patients who were living longer seemed to be the group who received IMRT reirradiation.