Why do "images" matter in cancer treatment?
A plain-language Q&A about our work — no medical background required.
Q1What are medical images?
X-ray, CT, and MRI images are photographs of the inside of the body. They show the position and shape of bones, organs, and tumors, so doctors use them for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Q2Why are images so important in radiotherapy?
Radiotherapy aims radiation precisely at a tumor. But tumors are inside the body and invisible from outside. So images are taken just before and during treatment to locate the tumor to the millimeter. The more accurate the aim, the better the healthy tissue around it is protected — reducing the burden on the patient.
Q3Doesn't the body move during treatment?
Yes. Just by breathing, tumors in the lungs or liver can move several centimeters. Respiratory-gated irradiation delivers radiation only at the moment the tumor comes into the target position. The animation on our home page shows exactly this mechanism.
Q4What does AI actually do?
It sharpens images, automatically outlines organs and tumors, and aligns images in an instant — a tool that makes doctors' and technologists' work faster and more accurate. The final decisions in diagnosis and treatment are always made by physicians.
Q5What kind of company is PIL?
We are a team of physicians, medical physicists, and engineers. We research and develop the imaging technologies introduced above and provide them to hospitals and medical device manufacturers. Our goal: a world where patient- and staff-friendly medical care is sustainable.