Radiotherapy Treatments for Bowel Cancer Patients to Be Shortened Due to COVID-19

An international panel of cancer experts has recommended a one-week treatment protocol for patients who need radiotherapy. On April 7, 2020, the group discussed the best way to minimize the additional issues that radiotherapy treatment causes, namely, weakened immune systems. Surgery, which usually happens one to two weeks after radiotherapy, can be safely delayed by up to 12 weeks, says the expert panel. 

People with bowel cancer are more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19 because their immune systems are weakened. Shortening the length of radiotherapy replaces the need for chemotherapy, which typically can make the immune system even weaker. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic is a global emergency and we needed to work very quickly to identify changes that would benefit patients. Our recommendations were published 20 days after our first meeting. This process normally takes many months, if not years,” said David Sebag-Montefiore, professor of clinical oncology at the University of Leeds and who lead the panel of cancer experts. 

The panel, which was comprised of 15 top cancer professionals, showed that surgery could be safely postponed after radiotherapy from oncology equipment was performed. This protocol allows surgery to be scheduled after the peak of the pandemic. 

Read more on how radiation therapy has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic here. 

PTW Announces Big News for the BEAMSCAN MR

The PTW has announced the 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the BEAMSCAN MR Motorized 3D Water Phantom. The BEAMSCAN MR is now available on the market within the U.S. PTW has already completed the installation of the first item in North America located at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

This new addition will provide a dedicated, fully equipped solution for beam data commissioning and annual QA of MR-LINACS. The center in Toronto is one of the largest cancer centers in the world. It is home to two state-of-the-art MR-LINAC systems, one being the Elekta Unity machine, which offers BEAMSCAN MR compatibility. To read more information about the BEAMSCAN MR and PTW, read this article here.