Mesothelioma Treatment With TomoTherapy Radiation Presented at ESTRO

Mesothelioma Treatment With TomoTherapy Radiation Presented at ESTRO

In a presentation currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain, researchers are showing the results of 82 different studies evaluating the benefits of TomoTherapy radiation.

TomoTherapy Incorporated, a maker of advanced therapy solutions for cancer care, has examined the use of the TomoTherapy treatment system on a number of complex and rare tumors that exist throughout the body, including mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Treating this condition can be very difficult because no cure is currently available. In most cases, patients elect to receive palliative treatment in an effort to extend their mesothelioma life expectancy and relieve discomfort.

The European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) 29 conference began on September 12 and will continue through September 16. In addition to mesothelioma, the TomoTherapy system was tested on head, neck, prostate, breast and lung tumors as well.

In one of the most encouraging studies, researchers from San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy tested TomoTherapy against other radiation therapy solutions to determine if TomoTherapy could improve target coverage without damaging nearby organs. The researchers said, “For all simulations, RapidArc(R) met less of the optimization criteria, while TomoTherapy was able to produce the most homogeneous dose and have the capability to conform dose distributions better than RapidArc(R).”

The use of TomoTherapy in treating more complex cases was demonstrated in a mesothelioma study that evaluated two groups of patients, with one group receiving a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB). The SIB group experienced significant success as their one-year survival rate increased to 72 percent. The other group had a one-year survival rate of 43 percent.

In addition, patients that received a SIB did not have a relapse in mesothelioma development for an average of 16 months. The non-SIB group experienced a relapse in an average of six months.

Improving the survival rate of mesothelioma patients through new methods of treatment is promising in a field that has been searching for a cure for decades. While treatments such as TomoTherapy radiation may not permanently remove the cancer, this kind of research does bring hope to patients living with a fatal condition.