Minibeam radiotherapy studied in patients with difficult-to-treat cancers
Mayo Clinic researchers report encouraging results using a new radiation technique called minibeam radiotherapy to treat patients with treatment-resistant cancers in or near the skin. The technique delivers very high doses of radiation through closely spaced, extremely narrow beams while limiting radiation exposure to healthy tissue between the beams.
A new radiation technique called minibeam radiotherapy is showing promising results in treating patients with difficult-to-treat cancers, according to researchers at Mayo Clinic. The method delivers high doses of radiation through extremely narrow, closely spaced beams, minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. In a study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, researchers found that 86% of 40 patients experienced symptom relief, with 22.5% of tumors disappearing, 25% shrinking and 45% remaining stable.
Notably, patients tolerated the higher radiation doses well, even those with cancers that had resisted previous treatments. The treatment may also work synergistically with the body's immune system, potentially offering a new approach to challenging cancers. Researchers are exploring how minibeam radiotherapy interacts with the immune system and are conducting further studies to determine its efficacy and potential applications in combination with other treatments.
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