Leeds hospital treats world's first patient using pioneering radiotherapy technology
New technology could transform how doctors treat cancer for a second time
A decade of research in Leeds has led to a world-first breakthrough in cancer care, with a patient becoming the first in the world to receive radiotherapy designed using new technology that could help make repeat treatment safer.
Almost half of all people diagnosed with cancer in the UK receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment. If cancer returns, or a person develops a new cancer, they may need radiotherapy again.
If this second course of radiotherapy is in the same part of the body as the original radiotherapy, then designing the second course of treatment – known as reirradiation – can be difficult.
This is because healthy tissues can tolerate only a limited amount of radiation over a lifetime and exposing them again can increase the risk of long-term side effects, including pain, scarring, nerve damage, organ dysfunction and delayed healing.
Until now, radiotherapy software has offered clinicians few tools to support the careful specialist assessment needed to design reirradiation treatments.
Scientists and clinicians from Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the University of Leeds have spent a decade conducting world-leading research on how reirradiation can be delivered more safely and effectively.
John Lilley, head of external beam radiotherapy physics at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Accounting for the previous radiotherapy when planning a new course is extremely challenging.
“Alongside our colleagues from the University of Leeds, we have been working for over ten years on the research that has underpinned the development of these new tools, and I am delighted that they are now available to teams in other hospitals.
“The tools will also give future radiotherapy trials better information about how changing the way that reirradiation is delivered influences the patients’ outcomes.”
Johan Löf, founder and CEO of RaySearch Laboratories, added: “One of RaySearch’s key strengths is the way we bring together scientific innovation and close collaboration with clinicians to develop advanced software that addresses real clinical needs.
“This milestone in reirradiation reflects our broader commitment to advancing cancer care and addressing complex treatment needs worldwide.”