Senior therapy radiographer Trina Herbert, lead research radiographer Dr Helen McNair and MR-linac radiographer Gillian Smith.
The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, have delivered the first treatment in the UK using a MR-linac system. The patient received radiotherapy treatment as part of the PRISM clinical trial, which is the first of its kind in the UK. Previously patients have only had an imaging scan as part of early trials to calibrate the pioneering machine.
Project lead Professor Uwe Oelfke, head of the joint department of physics at the ICR and The Royal Marsden, said: “For decades the radiation oncology community has dreamed of the day when we could see what we treat in real-time just as our surgical colleagues do, and we are excited that this day has arrived.
“If we want to fully unlock the potential of radiotherapy by making it even more precise in targeting the cancer and avoiding healthy tissue, we need to be able to see a patient’s tumour while we deliver the radiation treatment. The MR-linac will make this possible.
“This trial is for prostate cancer but we anticipate the equipment will help us improve radiotherapy for a wide range of cancers, including hard to treat forms such as lung and pancreatic cancer.”
Read the full report on the front page of the October 2018 issue of RAD Magazine.