Magnetic Resonance Guided Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancers

Laila A Gharzai; Benjamin S Rosen; Bharat Mittal; Michelle L Mierzwa; Poonam Yadav

doi:10.3390/jcm11051388

Magnetic Resonance Guided Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancers

J Clin Med. 2022 Mar 3;11(5):1388. doi: 10.3390/jcm11051388.

Authors

Laila A Gharzai¹, Benjamin S Rosen², Bharat Mittal¹, Michelle L Mierzwa², Poonam Yadav¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
² Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

Abstract

Radiotherapy is an integral component of head/neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) treatment, and technological developments including advances in image-guided radiotherapy over the past decades have offered improvements in the technical treatment of these cancers. Integration of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into image guidance through the development of MR-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) offers further potential for refinement of the techniques by which HNSCCs are treated. This article provides an overview of the literature supporting the current use of MRgRT for HNSCC, challenges with its use, and developing research areas.

Keywords: MR-Linac; head and neck cancer; magnetic resonance imaging; radiotherapy.

Publication types

Review