Tuesday, August 29, 2023
City of Hope, a renowned organization specializing in cancer research and treatment, has taken a pioneering step in Southern California. They are now offering a groundbreaking type of radiotherapy for patients diagnosed with primary or metastatic lung and bone cancer.
This revolutionary treatment involves real-time detection and precision targeting of multiple tumors by combining positron emission tomography (PET) with focused radiation therapy. This innovation is made possible through the integration of the RefleXion® X1 system and SCINTIXTM biology-guided radiotherapy. By utilizing a radiotracer named fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), the therapy effectively highlights solid tumors on PET scans, enabling the monitoring of cancer cells, even when they are within moving tumors.
The historical challenge of managing tumor movement during radiotherapy is adeptly handled by the SCINTIX therapy. It capitalizes on the PET emissions emitted by the tumor to guide the radiation with remarkable accuracy, ensuring that it reaches the precise location of the tumor. Given the critical importance of accurate targeting to prevent harm to healthy cells, this technological advancement significantly diminishes the likelihood of missing the target due to tumor motion.
This innovation offers particular promise to patients with metastatic lung and bone cancer, as it can minimize damage to healthy cells and potentially treat a higher number of tumors while minimizing adverse effects something that is especially vital for those with advanced stages of the disease.
City of Hope has been at the forefront of driving this pioneering treatment, having embraced RefleXion's technology early on in their clinical research initiatives. This has often led to the establishment of new benchmarks in radiation technology. The organization remains deeply engaged in the exploration and development of advanced PET imaging tracers that possess the ability to precisely identify disease targets.
These tracers, designed to illuminate specific areas of disease, encompass a range of cancers including those affecting the prostate gland, gastrointestinal tract, breast, lung, blood, and bone marrow. In addition, City of Hope is actively involved in creating innovative radioactive antibodies for cancer treatment and formulating molecular signatures that can predict responses to radiation or ascertain the need for such treatment. Through these dedicated endeavors, the researchers at City of Hope strive to bring about the realization of personalized and cancer-specific radiotherapy treatments.
Source: prnewswire.com
