(Boursier.com) — IBA a world leader in particle acceleration technology, and University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) today announce a four-year research collaboration agreement to develop a novel FLASH irradiation protocol for the treatment of early stage breast cancer.
This partnership will focus on the development of advanced FLASH irradiation techniques and preclinical radiobiology models. It aims to accelerate the validation and adoption of IBA’s ConformalFLASH technology for the preoperative treatment of early-stage breast cancer. ConformalFLASH is a new technique that combines ultra-high dose rate FLASH radiotherapy with the unique properties of the Bragg peak of protons.
These ultra-high dose rates could potentially optimize and accelerate radiotherapy treatments and also increase the therapeutic ratio. By increasing the fractional dose and applying FLASH dose rates, the partners hope to be able to offer full ablative radiation therapy.
The possibilities of delivering ablative doses of radiation to a tumor are often limited due to the toxicity of radiation to surrounding healthy tissue. Therefore, the standard of care in the treatment of breast cancer is to administer postoperative radiation therapy in multiple doses. In recent years, increasing interest has been shown in the application of preoperative radiotherapy with a reduction in the irradiated volume, while increasing the fractional dose. This makes it possible to reduce the number of fractions and, consequently, to improve patient comfort. Furthermore, preoperative radiotherapy offers the possibility of studying the biological response of breast cancer to radiotherapy.
As part of this collaboration, both parties will share their resources and combine their expertise, while drawing on the knowledge and infrastructure of the Particle Therapy Research Center (PARTREC), a specialized research facility operating in synergy with the center proton therapy clinic at UMCG Groningen (GPTC).
©2022 Boursier.com