Media highlight UC's FLASH radiotherapy trial
A new first-in-human trial led by University of Cincinnati researchers suggests a certain radiation treatment, which delivers therapeutic doses of radiation in a fraction of a second, may hold promise as a potential treatment for tough-to-kill tumors.
The technology, called FLASH radiation treatment (FLASH RT), delivers radiation at dose rates that are more than 300 times higher than those used in conventional radiation treatments. This induces a phenomenon known as the FLASH effect, which reduces the harm that may occur to normal tissue surrounding a tumor during conventional radiation therapy, while still killing the cancer cells at the tumor site.
In the trial of 10 patients with bone metastases, FLASH was shown to be safe and appeared to be as effective as conventional radiation without causing unexpected side effects.
Media outlets including Imaging Technology News, U.S. News and World Report and MedPage Today recently highlighted the research.
“Our study shows FLASH radiotherapy with protons is a practical modality to reduce pain,” said Emily C. Daugherty, MD, second author of the study and an assistant professor of clinical radiation oncology at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center. “It deserves further exploration because of its potential to decrease the side effects associated with conventional radiation treatments.”
Read the U.S. News and World Report story.
Read the Aunt Minnie story. (Note: Subscription or account creation may be required to view full story.)
Watch Dr. Daugherty discuss the research on Oncology Tube.
Featured photo at top of Dr. Daugherty with a patient. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand.
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