Radiation therapy firm Varian Medical Systems is touting the results of a preclinical study on an ultrahigh dose rate cancer treatment with protons, which the company is calling Flash therapy. The results, presented this week at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in Atlanta, showed that Flash therapy reduced toxicity in both healthy tissues and organs.
Varian partnered with the University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology and the Maryland Proton Treatment Center to develop this noninvasive form of cancer therapy designed to deliver high doses of radiation in less than one second.
Compared with conventional proton treatments, Flash therapy preclinical tests displayed 25% to 30% less damage to lung tissue, which produced less fibrosis of the lung and an average of 35% reduction in skin dermatitis during treatment. The trial was conducted on a clinical device capable of use on human patients, according to the researchers.
"Previously released studies on ultrahigh dose rate treatments were done using experimental radiotherapy equipment," said Dr. Dee Khuntia, chief medical officer at Varian. "It is exciting to share for the first time preclinical results of proton Flash therapy on a clinical device and offer a clearer picture of this possible major breakthrough in cancer treatment."
Varian is a member of the FlashForward Consortium, which includes 14 cancer centers focused on preclinical research, clinical implementation, and advocacy of Flash therapy.
