Take a Deep Breath

Deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) is a method of delivering radiotherapy while limiting radiation exposure to the heart and lungs. It is used primarily for treating left-sided breast cancer. The technique involves a patient holding their breath during treatment. In DIBH techniques, treatment is only delivered at certain points in the breathing cycle, where the patient holds their breath. Since the relative positions of organs in the chest naturally changes during breathing, this allows treatment to be delivered to the target (tumour) while other organs are in the optimal position to receive least dose.