Clinical translation of FLASH radiotherapy: Why and how?

Clinical translation of FLASH radiotherapy: Why and how? Radiother Oncol. 2019 Jun 25;: Authors: Bourhis J, Montay-Gruel P, Gonçalves Jorge P, Bailat C, Petit B, Ollivier J, Jeanneret-Sozzi W, Ozsahin M, Bochud F, Moeckli R, Germond JF, Vozenin MC Abstract Over the past decades, technological advances have transformed radiation therapy (RT) into a precise and powerful treatment for cancer patients. Nevertheless, the treatment of radiation-resistant tumors is still restricted by the dose-limiting normal tissue complications. In this context, FLASH-RT is emerging in the field. 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. 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. In the present review, we summarize the main data supporting the clinical translation of FLASH-RT and explore its feasibility, the key irradiation parameters and the potential technologies needed for a successful clinical translation. PMID: 31253466 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Radiother Oncol Source Type: research