NPL scientists have worked on a range of projects that are set to significantly improve the accuracy of a type of radiotherapy treatment called proton beam radiotherapy. The benefits of this therapy include more precise targeting of cancer tumors without damaging surrounding healthy tissue. It massively minimizes the unpleasant side effects of radiotherapy, particularly in the case of pediatric patients, including cardiac failure, pulmonary fibrosis, and secondary cancers.
is seen as a superior option to established forms of radiotherapy because the radiation can be confined largely to the tumor, minimizing the damage to surrounding healthy tissue. But in order to make the most of the treatment, the accuracy of theTo achieve this aim, the team at NPL made three important breakthroughs:
Radiation dose measurement always comes with a level of uncertainty, but NPL's PSPC reduces this uncertainty by more than half as reported by the international Code of Practice for radiotherapy dosimetry , making it more accurate than current international protocols.undergoing proton radiotherapy receive consistent and accurate radiation doses across different treatment facilities.
. The novel tissue mimicking materials have been used to develop a device which mimics a head and neck patient for radiotherapy purposes. This research has been published inThe plastic device is useful as it enables clinical centers to check and test the delivery of their proton therapy treatment without the need of a real patient. The device has internal detectors which enable the user to take dose measurements which can be compared to predicted values from treatment planning software.
Accurate dosimetry is essential to avoid errors that might result in a patient receiving an incorrect dose of radiation and less chance of successful treatment. Currently, any form of radiotherapy results in unwanted but unavoidable deposition of radiation to healthy tissue around the targeted tumor.
"This significant development will reduce uncertainty in dose delivery, ensuring optimal tumor control and improved accuracy in proton therapy treatments. The establishment of consistent standards supported by the CoP will not only benefit patients within and between treatment facilities but also lay the foundation for the development of clinical trials in proton therapy."
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