Realization of Intensity Modulated Radiation Fields Using Multileaf Collimators

In the treatment of cancer using high energetic radiation the problem arises how to irradiate the tumor without damaging the healthy tissue in the immediate vicinity. In order to do this as efficiently as possible intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is used. A modern way to modulate the homogeneous radiation field delivered by an external accelerator is to use a multileaf collimator in the static or in the dynamic mode. In this paper several aspects of the construction of optimal treatment plans are discussed and some algorithms for this task are described.