Here are 7 hot radiation therapy technology trends discussed in sessions and on the expo floor at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2021 annual meeting.
1. Flash Therapy is Biggest Technology Trend in Radiation Oncology
Over the past few years, there has been a lot of discussion about flash therapy and how it may offer a revolutionary way to treat cancer. Rather than days or weeks of fractions of radiation given to a patient, the entire massive dose is delivered all at once very quickly in one fraction. What is surprising is that healthy tissues react much differently to these high doses of radiation than a large number of daily smaller dose fractions over time. Healthy tissues appear to recover pretty well, while the high doses destroy the cancer cells very rapidly. If this proves to be safe and effective in clinical studies, it will likely revolutionize radiation therapy. This also will make a lot more patient treatment slots available on existing treatment systems. Flash sessions at ASTRO the past several years have been packed with attendees.
READ MORE
