New breakthrough to up precision and safety of radiation treatment in cancer patients

A scientific breakthrough may help give the field of radiation oncology new tools to raise the precision and safety of radiation treatment in cancer patients by helping doctors view the powerful beams of a linear accelerator while they enter or exit the body.

As a way to make radiation safer and better, Dartmouth began to investigate a scientific phenomenon called the Cherenkov effect in 2011.

As a first step, engineers at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth modified a regular camera with a night vision scope to take photos of radiation beams as they passed through water.

What appeared on the photos is the Cherenkov effect, a luminescent blue glow.

To refine the approach for use in radiation treatment, scientists used a mannequin of the human body. They measured and studied the results to refine their ability to capture the luminescence, experimenting with beam size, position, and wavelength.

With the clinical aspects refined, Geisel School of Medicine researchers photographed luminescence during the routine radiation treatment of a dog with an oral tumour.

This was the first time Cherenkov studies came out of the laboratory and into a treatment setting. The scientists coined the approach Cherenkoscopy. As they anticipated, during the session they were able to see detailed information about the treatment field and the dose.

The results have been published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics.

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EXERCISE VERY IMPORTANT TO CANCER PATIENTS

Even though numerous studies have shown the powerful effect that exercise can have oncancer care and recovery, many patients are reluctant to exercise, and few discuss it with their oncologists, researchers say. 

In the study, which is part of a series of investigations looking at exercise habits among cancer patients, researchers found that patients who exercised regularly before their diagnosis were more likely to exercise than those who had not. 

Many patients considered daily activities, such as gardening, sufficient exercise. 

There was a real sense of 'What I do every day, that's my exercise'," said a  Dr. 

Most were not aware that inactivity can contribute to weakening of the body and greater vulnerability to problems, including symptoms of cancer.

In addition, researchers found that patients took exercise advice most seriously when it came directly from their oncologists, but none of those studied had discussed it with them. 

Generally, patients are not being given concrete advice about exercise to help them maintain functionality and to improve their outcomes. 

Exercise can improve patients' mobility, enable them to enjoy activities and keep them from becoming isolated in their homes. 

It can contribute to overall feelings of strength and physical safety, ease cancer-related fatigue and improve sleep. 

Brachytherapy To Treat Tumour In The Eye

Cancerous growth within the eye can now be treated with embedded radioactive plaques, instead of removing the eye. The cost effective treatment is  called ocular Brachytherapy. This procedure costs now Rs. 10,000 to Rs, 15, 000 as the radioactive iodine-125 seeds are manufactured in India's BARC centre in Mumbai. Earlier, the treatment was expensive, as the seeds were imported from Europe.


Ocular Brachytherapy is used to treat retinoblastoma in children & choroidal melanoma in adults. Retinoblastoma occurs one in every 30,000 live births & choroidal melanoma in 6 in a million & is more predominant in the West than in India. If untreated, the cancer can spread to other organs & even cause death. The tumours are usually treated with enucleation ( removing the eye) or controlled with chemotherapy. Through ocular Brachytherapy, the eye can be salvaged & patients can regain 60-70 % of their vision.


Ocular Brachytherapy can be performed at centres which are equipped for radiology treatment. The procedure is an interdisciplinary one as the treatment dosage is determined by oncologists, the radioactive seed is prepared & placed on a gold plaque by medical physicists & the plaque is surgically sutured over the tumour by an ophthalmologist. The patient spends 5-7 days in isolation following which the plaque is removed.