[Conformal intensity modulated radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer: Toward a new standard]

Radiation therapy is now widely accepted as an efficacious treatment of localized prostate cancer. Recent advances, namely with the development of conformal radiotherapy, allowed to increase the total dose in the target volumes with greater local control. A forward step achieved with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in terms of therapeutic ratio between target volumes and critical organs. IMRT offers an inverse planning dosimetry and a modulation of the fields during irradiation. This article presents recent technical and clinical advances in IMRT focused on prostate cancer.