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Breakthrough in radiotherapy promises targeted cancer treatment
May 20, 2009Current radiation therapy treatment damages a patient's healthy tissue as well as eradicating the tumour it is intended to destroy, making the treatment especially invasive and often causing nasty side effects.
A new development in radiotherapy will enable a far more precise and accurate treatment for cancerous tumours by using real-time images to guide the radiation beam.
Real-time image-guided radiotherapy, combining radiation treatment with non-invasive MR imaging, would be far less harmful for patients as it would leave less healthy tissue damaged and give radiation oncologists the possibility of instantly modifying the treatment dose as tumours change in size and shift.
Published in issue 12 of IOP Publishing's Physics in Medicine & Biology the findings of a research group from the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands are set to "open the door to start testing MRI-guided radiation therapy in the clinic".
The team of researchers has successfully proven that simultaneous radiation treatment and diagnostic-quality MRI is feasible. By actively shielding the radiation beam from the MRI scanner's magnet and redesigning the treatment room set-up, which has until now been difficult to put into practice, the researchers have managed to produce high-quality, real-time MRI images, which could enable oncologists to target radiation far more accurately while it is being applied.
Working towards a clinical prototype, the research team is hoping to start the first clinical tests in a year's time.
Institute of Physics
Published in issue 12 of IOP Publishing's Physics in Medicine & Biology the findings of a research group from the University Medical Centre Utrecht in the Netherlands are set to "open the door to start testing MRI-guided radiation therapy in the clinic".
The team of researchers has successfully proven that simultaneous radiation treatment and diagnostic-quality MRI is feasible. By actively shielding the radiation beam from the MRI scanner's magnet and redesigning the treatment room set-up, which has until now been difficult to put into practice, the researchers have managed to produce high-quality, real-time MRI images, which could enable oncologists to target radiation far more accurately while it is being applied.
Working towards a clinical prototype, the research team is hoping to start the first clinical tests in a year's time.
Institute of Physics
Radiotherapy Current Events and Radiotherapy News RSSStudy of concurrent radiotherapy, chemotherapy shows promise in small cell lung cancer
Treating limited stage small cell lung cancer(LSCL) with a combination of accelerated high-dose radiotherapy and chemotherapy has shown encouraging results.
Blood vessels might predict prostate cancer behavior
A diagnosis of prostate cancer raises the question for patients and their physicians as to how the tumor will behave. Will it grow quickly and aggressively and require continuous treatment, or slowly, allowing therapy and its risks to be safely delayed?
Stereotactic radiotherapy offers noninvasive, effective treatment for frail patients with early-stage lung cancer
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) should be considered a new standard of care for early-stage lung cancer treatment in patients with co-existing medical problems, according to results from a national clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians.
Short-term hormone therapy and intermediate dose radiation increases survivial for early stage prostate cancer
Short-term hormone therapy given prior to and during intermediate dose radiation treatment for men with early stage prostate cancer increases their chance of living longer, compared to those who receive the same radiation alone.
Herbal tonic for radiotherapy
Antioxidant extracts of the leaves of the Gingko biloba tree may protect cells from radiation damage, according to a study published in the International Journal of Low Radiation.
Exercise reduces fatigue in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
Supervised exercise programmes that include high and low intense cardiovascular and resistance training can help reduce fatigue in patients with cancer who are undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy or treatment for advanced disease.
Although more older women receive breast-conserving therapy, gaps in treatment exist
According to a new study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, although breast-conserving surgery (BCS), commonly known as lumpectomy, is increasingly being used to treat older women with nonmetastatic invasive breast cancer, there are still significant socioeconomic and geographic disparities in the use of this type of therapy.
Prediction model superior to traditional criteria in bladder treatment decision
A statistical model can accurately predict which patients will have poor outcomes after bladder surgery and can determine the need for chemotherapy.
New Approach for the Treatment of Malignant Brain Tumors
Initial chemotherapy alone after surgery is just as successful as initial radiation therapy for patients from whom a very malignant brain tumor (anaplastic glioma) was removed. With this treatment, the patients survive on average > 30 months without a recurrence.
Mayo Clinic Researchers Find Few Side Effects from Radiation Treatment Given After Prostate Cancer Surgery
The largest single-institution study of its kind has found few complications in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy after surgery to remove the prostate.
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