Dr. Koyfman on the Evolution of Reirradiation Treatment in Head and Neck Cancer

Shlomo Koyfman, MD, associate staff, Radiation Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, discusses recent advancements in reirradiation treatment for patients with head and neck cancer.

The reirradiation setting in head and neck cancer has been fortunate enough to see better imaging in the last decade or so, including better PET scanning and MRI scanning. A radiation oncologist treats what he sees, Koyfman explains. Thus, as the ability to see more, and to see more clearly, has gotten so much more advanced, radiation oncologists are able to be more selective about how they treat patients.

Koyfman says he tells his patients that the head and neck is a very "high real estate" area of the body, meaning that a lot of important parts are all located very close to one another. Radiation oncologists are now been able to apply this improved understanding of those structures to the reirradiation setting. Moreover, with more advanced technology and planning, these physicians can be much more careful about how they deposit doses of radiation, and critical structures can now be spared from unnecessary toxicities.