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Fhash radiation trial#
Indeed, preclinical studies on various animal models and a veterinarian clinical trial have recently shown that compared to conventional dose-rate RT, FLASH-RT could control tumors while minimizing normal tissue toxicity. Consisting of delivering doses within an extremely short irradiation time, FLASH-RT has been identified as a promising new tool to enhance the differential effect between tumors and normal tissues. In this context, FLASH-RT is emerging in the field. Nevertheless, the treatment of radiation-resistant tumors is still restricted by the dose-limiting normal tissue complications. Over the past decades, technological advances have transformed radiation therapy (RT) into a precise and powerful treatment for cancer patients. Patient advocate Karen Ritter is a registered nurse with connections at many top-ranked hospitals and radiation centers. If you’re interested in radiation therapy, including new-age techniques to prolong life and improve quality of life, contact our medical team. The researchers noted that this new mesothelioma treatment has helped lung cancer patients in avoiding radiation side effects. Traditional radiotherapy has even higher complication rates.įLASH-RT could all but eliminate the potential for inflamed lung tissues. IMRT leads to severe pneumonitis for between 15% and 20% of mesothelioma patients. One study found that proton radiation for mesothelioma limited pneumonitis (inflammation of lung tissue) to just 13% of patients. This technique, along with intensity-modulated radiation therapy, condenses the beam’s radius. Proton beam radiotherapy is a recent emergence and improvement in cancer treatment. Traditional radiation usually damages the sensitive lung tissue around the tumors, which causes permanent tissue scarring and other potential issues.Ĭomparing FLASH Radiotherapy to Other New Radiation Techniques The proximity to the lungs means pleural mesothelioma often spreads to and damages the tissue on this organ. This cancer forms in the thin, protective lining between the lung cavity and chest wall. Specifically, people with pleural mesothelioma hold the largest stake. “Using FLASH-RT, they found that the same total dose of radiation delivered at quicker dose rates removed … tumors just as effectively as the traditional method.”Ī radiotherapy technique that hyper-focuses on only the tumors could translate to treating mesothelioma. “As in traditional radiation therapy, the researchers fractionated the dose - divided the total over several sessions,” states the press release from the University of California-Irvine. The hyper-focused, speedy method diminishes the potential for wayward radiation beams hitting healthy tissue just outside the target area.
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FLASH-RT delivers the same dose in a fraction of the time. Traditional radiation therapy, also called photon radiotherapy, directs beams to the tumor environment for several minutes. The most significant benefit, aside from shrinking the tumor and killing diseased cells, is limiting the damage to neighboring healthy organ tissue. Interested medical experts tested this technique on brain cancer in mice and discovered extraordinary results. The advancement of FLASH radiation therapy, or FLASH-RT for short, was the focus of research at the University of California-Irvine. What seems like a never-ending dilemma may soon come to an end - thanks to a new type of radiation therapy.
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This is especially true for radiotherapy, which often leads to uncomfortable complications. One of the challenges for mesothelioma specialists is providing treatment with limited or no side effects.
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