Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center in New Orleans will soon be one of only eight cancer treatment facilities in the world, and the first in the South, to offer biology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT), a breakthrough treatment currently FDA approved for patients diagnosed with primary or metastatic tumors to lung and bone. The new treatment uses the unique biology of the cancer itself to guide radiotherapy delivery, even in tumors that are in motion.
“Biology-guided radiotherapy marks a significant advancement in enhancing the precision of radiation treatment, offering improved control over tumor motion and the potential to lower radiation toxicity. This approach aims to provide more focused, accurate treatment with fewer side effects for our patients,” said Troy G. Scroggins Jr., MD, chair of radiation oncology, Ochsner MD Anderson. “We are leading a transformative shift in cancer care. With this treatment, we can broaden the scope of radiotherapy beyond early-stage cancers to include potential treatment for metastatic disease and bring precision oncology closer to reality for our patients.”
The machine that administers the BgRT therapy has been installed at Ochsner Baptist, one of eight Ochsner MD Anderson locations. It is the first platform to combine PET (positron-emission tomography) imaging technology with a linear accelerator (LINAC) to deliver a radiation dose that tracks the cancer’s motion in real-time.
Just before treatment, a patient is injected with a radiopharmaceutical, which is consumed by the cancer cells. As this happens, signals are produced from the tumor. This new technology uses these signals from the patient’s cancer cells to then determine where and how much radiation to deliver, second by second, during actual treatment delivery. The therapy essentially uses the biological activity of the cancer to destroy it.
By tracking the delivery of the radiation dose to the cancer cells in real-time during treatment—like a spotlight following the tumor—it shifts the dose in response to tumor motion and reduces the volume of tissue that receives radiation.
This BgRT therapy is engineered to treat multiple tumors in the same treatment plan while sparing healthy tissue, resulting in less toxicity for the patient. This new treatment will soon be available to eligible patients from across the region.