Each patient’s CT scan is imported directly into the treatment planning computer and the physician uses this 3-dimensional information to define the treatment area. In some cases, MRI and PET scans are merged with the CT to help define the tumor. The dosimetrist and physicist work with your physician to design radiation beams that conform to the shape of the tumor and avoid healthy tissue to the greatest extent possible. This allows us to deliver high doses of radiation to the tumor while minimizing the radiation to nearby normal tissues.