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The PTW has announced the 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the BEAMSCAN MR Motorized 3D Water Phantom. The BEAMSCAN MR is now available on the market within the U.S. PTW has already completed the installation of the first item in North America located at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

This new addition will provide a dedicated, fully equipped solution for beam data commissioning and annual QA of MR-LINACS. The center in Toronto is one of the largest cancer centers in the world. It is home to two state-of-the-art MR-LINAC systems, one being the Elekta Unity machine, which offers BEAMSCAN MR compatibility. To read more information about the BEAMSCAN MR and PTW, read this article here.

Often, when a patient is older in their years and receives the bad news that they have fallen victim to a form of cancer, they begin to come to terms with the fact that their lives will soon be over due to it. This sense of thinking does not have to be a person’s future outcome since with today’s technology no matter a person’s age, cancer treatment is a very promising option to be used. However, studies have shown patients aged 90 years or older are not even being offered any treatment at all. In this article the statistics of elderly patients and their success rates of using radiotherapy as a treatment option are shown and how even at an older age these patients have gained significant years added to their lives, which can be very worthwhile. With new techniques and technology, the treatment can be much less invasive without needing surgery and can truly be a lifesaver for many of lives young and old.

Researchers as CERN are always working to find new options for radiation therapy to be more effective and more affordable. Radiation therapy is a procedure that utilizes special equipment called a linear accelerator that emits a beam of electrons into a targeted area of a cancerous tumor on a patient. At high concentration, these x-ray beams can produce a larger enough dose of radiation to kill the cancer cells. Unfortunately, even with very precise placement, the x-ray can cause damage surrounding healthy tissue and organs, so doctors have many obstacles to overcome with effective cancer options still. New developments at CERN are showing great possibilities for the future by creating a electron accelerator called CLIC which uses high energy electrons in a smaller setting and more affordable. In this following article, it describes more in detail the process of this new found technology and how its can further change and evolve radiation treatment from where it is today.

A new promising proposal regarding radiotherapy dosing in tumors could bring exciting changes to the medical field, specifically the war on cancer in patients.

In a Medical Express article, the author talks about a study that proposes more higher energy particle beams focusing on small spots deep inside the body. The hope of doing so is to target more tumors more precisely, thus making the process of eliminating tumors more precisely. The lead of the study, Professor Dino Jaroszynski, claims that “around half of the population will suffer from cancer at some time in their lives. Of these people, half will be treated using radiotherapy or a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.” The ability to focus on more accurate targeting of cancerous tumors in the body should hopefully pave the way for better results for those with cancer undergoing treatment going forward in the future.

The advancements in LINAC technology are significant.  In just the last few decades, the ability to treat cancers effectively without harming additional healthy tissues have grown considerably.  Linear accelerators have been transformed into systems that offer different techniques to target cancerous tumors.  Intensity-modulated irradiation, as well as particle therapies, have helped to ensure the maximum dose of radiation can be given to the tumor without overexposure to the surrounding healthy tissues. Image-guided radiation LINAC systems allow images to be taken while delivering radiation thus decreasing the amount of uncertainty in the location of the tumors.  One of the last hurdles modern technology is working to address is patient movement, however slight, during treatment. In this installment from Physics World, “PHASER linac will translate FLASH radiotherapy to the clinic” we are introduced to technology that looks to address this issue.

A new advancement in radiotherapytechnology has provided patients with brain cancer a new alternative for treatment that could increase the accuracy and the speed of treatment. This style of treatment will rotate the patient in sync with the radiation beam with a technique called Dynamic Couch Rotation. Current treatment has been done using Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). This new technique has proven to be just as accurate but can also improve delivery times which in turn will reduce exposure to healthy/sensitive brain tissues nearby and decrease side effects overall. You can read the article “New radiotherapy system that moves patients in syncwith x-ray beam can deliver accurate treatment for brain cancer” to grasp a better understanding of this new treatment.

Hearing the word “Cancer” can be very scary when a doctor first diagnoses you or someone you love. When choosing the path of Radiotherapy, often a person is unsure what this journey will entail which makes things even scarier. A simplified treatment course will follow: consultation with radiation oncologist, CT simulation scan, treatment planning, and then finally the actual treatment. Each person’s own case is unique with intensity and amount of time a treatment will need to be administered.

To Read whole article below to understand the radiotherapy process below:

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/demystifying-radiotherapy-what-patients-receiving-treatment-can-expect-1.3806908