From the March 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
"We found that when you gave the dose much more quickly you seem to spare normal tissue," Sharma said.
The trial assessed pain control, a measure of tumor response that Sharma said the patients reported receiving.
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 29715
Times Visited: 727 Stay up to date with the latest training to fix, troubleshoot, and maintain your critical care devices. GE HealthCare offers multiple training formats to empower teams and expand knowledge, saving you time and money
The study was designed by leaders at Varian and multiple centers in the FlashForward Consortium, a 20-member group of institutions from around the world, which includes experts in radiation oncology, translational sciences and medical physics.
Tampa Bay in Florida to receive first proton therapy center
The last of Florida’s major markets is set to have its own proton therapy center in the next few years.
Tampa General Hospital announced in October it had partnered with the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Proton Therapy Partners, and Florida Urology Partners to build a free-standing center in Tampa Bay. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022. Which specific vendors will be in charge of supplying the proton therapy system and other equipment is still under discussion.
"Its specificity of delivery allows us to treat hard to reach tumors, those wrapped around critical organs, and tumors that have come back after radiation. It's also the safest form of radiation we have to offer our pediatric and young adult patients suffering from cancer,” said Dr. Richard Tuli, chief of radiation oncology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital, in a statement.
The Cancer Institute at Tampa General will manage the new center, which will provide personalized care from one access point and in a free-standing location, as opposed to in a single provider facility.
In addition to reducing complications, risk of secondary cancers and short- and long-term toxicities, proton therapy increases disease control for aggressive cancers at the base of the skull; reduces impacts on taste, nausea and painful changes to the mouth; and is able to treat a wide range of adult cancers, from breast, to head and neck, to prostate cancer, and pediatric brain and spinal tumors.
RaySearch, Mevion explore new approach for delivering FLASH proton therapy
RaySearch Laboratories and Mevion Medical Systems announced in October they were developing advanced treatment planning approaches to deliver FLASH therapy on Mevion’s S250i Proton Therapy System with HYPERSCAN.
FLASH therapy is an advanced form of radiotherapy currently under investigation. It is designed to deliver a noninvasive, ultra-high dose of radiation in less than one second to treat tumors effectively, while sparing healthy tissue. For their endeavor, RaySearch and Mevion are focused on FLASH intensity modulated proton therapy, an approach that alters proton beams to conform to the shape of tumors. It then applies multiple small proton beams to varying levels of intensity to precisely destroy the tumor.
