First MR Linac Radiotherapy System Installed in UK

A revolutionary new radiotherapy system intended for specialized cancer care has been installed in London, in the UK.

The MR linac system uses Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and X-Rays simultaneously allowing oncologists to adjust radiotherapy treatments in real time and deliver more accurate and effective radiation doses.

The MR Linac system was developed by Elekta (Stockholm, Sweden), and was installed at the Institute of Cancer Research (London, UK) and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The first patients are expected to be treated there as part of clinical studies in the second half of 2017. The technology is expected increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatment while reducing side effects, especially for cancers that move during radiotherapy, or patients that need to change position between imaging and treatment.

Professor Uwe Oelfke, from the Institute of Cancer Research, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said, “Combining the excellent soft-tissue contrast of MRI scanning with precision radiotherapy in a single treatment technology has been one of the major challenges of modern radiotherapy research. The launch of our new system is an important step towards finally making this state-of-the-art treatment available for patients in the UK – with our first clinical trials due to begin in about a year’s time. By doing accurate patient imaging at the same time as delivery of radiotherapy – rather than as separate steps – we aim to significantly improve treatment for patients with hard-to-treat cancers including lung cancer.”

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Elekta
Institute of Cancer Research