25
Sep 2018
Pioneering radiotherapy machine offers more cures and fewer side effects
The MR Linac radiotherapy machine, which simultaneously delivers x-ray radiation beams while scanning tumours inside the body, has been used to treat the first patient in the UK.
The new technology, based at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, has been described as “groundbreaking” as it means radiotherapy can be planned and adjusted in real time, allowing it to be more accurate than ever before. The machine will be especially effective in treating tumours that change size and shape, such as bowel, bladder and lung tumours.
The Institute of Cancer Research’s Professor Uwe Oelfke, said “Ten years ago we did not think it would be possible to combine MRI and radiotherapy – this is a real step-change in technology.”
Consultant oncologist at the Royal Marden, Dr Alison Tree, said the new technology was “a dream come true” and would allow clinicians to deliver higher, more targeted, doses of radiation, without damaging healthy tissue.
Dr Tree said “In lung cancer, we would like to give higher doses of radiotherapy, but are limited because the tumour is often close to other vital structures in the chest.
“This allows us to see the cancer more clearly and make sure the radiation goes where it is needed and not where it can cause harm.”
The hospital will initially use the machine to treat cervical, prostate, bladder and bowel cancer, and eventually lung cancer. A second machine at the Christie Hospital in Manchester will start treating patients early in 2019.
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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