(People’s Daily Health Client Wang Zhuo) “Capturing a dynamically changing tumor image is equivalent to chasing the protagonist with a spotlight on the stage, clearly presenting the dynamic changes of the protagonist. Ideal adaptive radiotherapy requires accurate images, Adapt to the changes in the position and shape of the tumor during treatment.” Chen Ming, director of the Radiotherapy Department of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, described the tumor adaptive radiotherapy technology in an interview with the People’s Daily Health Client. He and his team completed the world’s first online adaptive radiotherapy for lung cancer patients based on uCT-ART technology, shortening the radiotherapy plan adjustment that originally took several days to 10 minutes and 45 seconds.
Integrated positioning, dynamic adjustment of radiotherapy plan with tumor changes
uCT-ART online adaptive radiotherapy technology was innovatively developed by United Imaging Medical. “Satellite Navigation”, based on the use of 4D-CT, the radiotherapy plan can be adjusted completely online adaptively; the image quality is also innovated in an all-round way, and it has the potential to cover the whole body cancer. Clinical application.
According to Chen Ming, for lung cancer patients, one radiotherapy cycle often requires 20 to 30 times of radiotherapy, which lasts for more than a month. “During radiotherapy, lung tumor shrinkage, changes in lung tissue with inflammation and atelectasis, cardiopulmonary physiological exercise, etc., will lead to changes in tumor shape, location, and size over time. Changes in the shape of organs will also cause changes in tumors.” He told the People’s Daily Health Client that the radiotherapy plan needs to be adjusted in time during radiotherapy.
On April 11, the team of Prof. Ming Chen, Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at CUHK, performed 4D uCT-ART (4D CT-ART) for lung cancer patients. Online Adaptive Radiotherapy). Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Chen Ming said: “The traditional linear accelerator has the problem that the image is not clear enough, and the ability to capture the displacement and deformation of the tumor needs to be improved, and patients often need to be performed on another clear imaging device. If the tumor is localized, and then wait for the doctor to make a new plan, the patient’s radiotherapy cycle will be longer.”
“However, this time, the integrated CT linear accelerator used in the treatment of lung cancer for the first time has a clear CT image at the diagnostic level. , we can obtain high-definition CT images before each radiotherapy for patients, and formulate high-precision personalized treatment plans for patients online directly based on the CT images and lesion information of the day.” Chen Ming said that all operations can be done at one time The solution allows doctors to adjust the plan more flexibly and dynamically in real time, and patients do not have to rush to various departments, which greatly simplifies the patient’s medical treatment process.
Patient under treatment. Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Huang Xiaoyan, deputy director of the radiotherapy department, also said that United Imaging Medical TPS has improved the accuracy of planning. “It can quickly, intelligently and accurately identify and delineate tumor lesions and normal organs. It can also provide online dose monitoring, making dose calculation more accurate and ensuring that patients receive the most optimal radiotherapy plan every time.”
Combining innovation with medicine and engineering to build an integrated ecology of tumor diagnosis and treatment
“After six months of research and exploration, online adaptive radiotherapy for lung cancer is the key to the linkage between CUHK Oncology and United Imaging Medical’s industry-university-research-medicine Sexual achievements.” Chen Ming said that large medical institutions are willing to use domestic equipment, and the combination of medicine and industry can continuously improve domestic equipment. Hospitals put forward needs and suggestions based on clinical reality, and enterprises carry out technological innovations and improvements based on this. Both parties cooperate with each other to form a virtuous circle and accelerate the transformation of innovation achievements.
Chen Ming and the team implement the treatment plan for the patient. Photo courtesy of the respondent
The United Imaging CT-linac 506c used in this uCT-ART online adaptive radiotherapy treatment is also the first domestic radiotherapy equipment introduced by Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center.
“The operation rate of the equipment has been nearly 100% since it was settled in 7 months. The image-guided mode based on diagnostic CT is higher than the previous CBCT, and the definition of soft tissue imaging is very high.” Lin Chengguang, chief technician of the radiotherapy department In particular, the software operation and various special functions are also more in line with the habits of Chinese doctors and fit the conditions of Chinese patients.
Since 2018, United Imaging and CUHK Oncology have cooperated closely in various fields, including Total-Body PET-CT uEXPLORER Explorer, 75cm ultra-large aperture magnetic resonance uMR Omega, integrated CT A series of large-scale clinical scientific research equipment such as the linear accelerator uRT-linac 506c have been launched one after another. The two parties are jointly building a diagnosis and treatment integrated innovative ecology covering precise diagnosis and treatment, precise immunotherapy, and precise radiotherapy linkage, and open up the whole process of prevention-diagnosis-treatment-rehabilitation.