Conformal radiation therapy is a type of external beam radiation therapy. For this procedure, the same type of machine used for regular radiotherapy treatment is combined with a specialized device called a multi-leaf collimator.
- The multi-leaf collimator is made up of metal bars fixed to the radiotherapy machine.
- The bars block the radiation beams to change the shape of the area being treated.
- Each bar can be adjusted so that the radiation beams conform to the shape and size of the tumour.