Technical advances in X-ray microbeam radiation therapy
RIS ID
139831
Abstract
In the last 25 years microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional radiation therapy at large, third generation synchrotrons. In MRT, a multi-slit collimator modulates a kilovoltage x-ray beam on a micrometer scale, creating peak dose areas with unconventionally high doses of several hundred Grays separated by low dose valley regions, where the dose remains well below the tissue tolerance level. Pre-clinical evidence demonstrates that such beam geometries lead to substantially reduced damage to normal tissue at equal tumour control rates and hence drastically increase the therapeutic window. Although the mechanisms behind MRT are still to be elucidated, previous studies indicate that immune response, tumour microenvironment, and the microvasculature may play a crucial role. Beyond tumour therapy, MRT has also been suggested as a microsurgical tool in neurological disorders and as a primer for drug delivery
Publication Details
Bartzsch, S., Corde, S., Crosbie, J. C., Day, L., Donzelli, M., Krisch, M., Lerch, M., Pellicioli, P., Smyth, L. M L. & Tehei, M. (2020). Technical advances in X-ray microbeam radiation therapy. Physics in Medicine & Biology, 65 02TR01-1-02TR01-20.