Healthwise: Take a Deep Breath with Respiratory Gating

By: Cheryn Stone Email

Updated: Thu 4:01 PM, Oct 01, 2009

October 1, 2009

For patients receiving cancer treatment at Martha Jefferson Hospital, taking a deep breath can make it possible for less tissue to be damaged during radiation. In this week's Martha Jefferson Healthwise, Cheryn Stone spoke to Chief Medical Physicist David Waid about this treatment.

Respiratory Gating is a big term that can be broken down to a simple concept. This practice allows doctors at Martha Jefferson Hospital a more precise way of treating cancerous tumors in some parts of the body.

By tracking your breathing, respiratory gating can track a tumor in your body that's moving, which has the potential for a couple of benefits, including improved cancer treatment.

"We've got a machine here that treats radiation, delivers radiation to mostly cancer patients and it can do all types of tumors at basically any site we want. Respiratory gating is a small part of what we do with this machine," said Waid.

**Click on the video tab to see the full interview**

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