Dose and dose rate dependence of the tissue sparing effect at ultra-high dose rate studied for proton and electron beams using the zebrafish embryo model

The FLASH effect, describing the sparing of normal tissue while maintaining the tumor killing efficiency at ultra-high dose rate (UHDR), has received great attention in the radiotherapy community and has stimulated research in all disciplines involved. This particular interest came because of its potential to widen the therapeutic window: the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) curve is shifted to higher doses while the tumor control probability (TCP) is unaffected [1]. Although first patients are treated with UHDR regimes [2,3], it would be preferable to understand the underlying mechanisms in order to know the optimal beam parameters for triggering the FLASH effect [4,5] prior to a broader clinical translation.

Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - March 4, 2024 Category: Radiology Authors: Felix Horst, Elisabeth Bodenstein, Michael Brand, Stefan Hans, Leonhard Karsch, Elisabeth Lessmann, Steffen L öck, Michael Schürer, Jörg Pawelke, Elke Beyreuther Tags: Original Article Source Type: research