Against tumors, a new tool would allow treatment to be halved. The discovery comes from Great Britain and would allow to halve the time it takes to refer some patients to radiotherapy. The technique was developed by British experts and is 99.9% accurate. But not all cancers are curable with this therapy, only those in the head and neck: which are notoriously difficult to treat. Because? The patient’s tumor and face often change shape during treatment due to significant weight loss.
Tumors of the oral cavity, day dedicated to prevention in Piazza Vittorio
Tumors, the new technique developed by the Institute of Cancer Research
“When I started the training, we basically had someone lie down on the bed, put on a plastic mask and take front and side X-rays,” Prof. Kevin Harrington, head of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging, told The Telegraph. at the Institute of Cancer Research and oncologist consultant. “Then, for six or seven weeks, we treated the same area without taking into account the fact that during the treatment the patient would lose up to 10% of his body weight.”
The discovery
The team of researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research, in collaboration with the Royal Marsden and funded by Cancer Research UK, tried to find a new technique. And here it is machine called MR-Linac, which combines magnetic resonance with X-rays: to take a quick and precise look at the position of the tumor and automatically adjust the goal of radiotherapy. According to Prof. Harrington, automating the adjustment process can reduce treatment from two hours to just 30 minutes, with no decline in the quality of care.
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