Radiotherapy has been the mainstay of cancer treatment for many years, offering a targeted approach to tumor treatment. Yet, as effective because it is, it often causes unwanted damage to neighboring healthy tissue – which may result in a variety of unwanted effects.
But researchers developing a brand new technique, which uses narrow X-ray beams, may offer a promising alternative for treating cancer. The therapy can potentially be as effective as conventional radiotherapy – and with fewer complications. This is referred to as microbeam radiation therapy.
Microbes were initially studied within the Nineteen Sixties. Check for cosmic radiation.. But it wasn't until the Nineteen Eighties that their Potential to treat cancer was discovered. Although microbeam therapy has only been researched in clinical models to this point, these studies have shown it to be a really successful technique for treating quite a lot of cancers – with most of the advantages of radiotherapy.
With conventional radiotherapy, the radiation is spread widely throughout the tumor to kill the cancerous tissue. But it also means the next probability of damaging some healthy, surrounding tissue – with more negative symptoms.
Microbeam radiation therapy uses very narrow beams (narrower than a human hair) which can be closely spaced together. These high-intensity X-ray beams are delivered in very short bursts – only a fraction of a second. This results in alternating zones of high radiation (“peaks”) and low radiation (“valleys”) – very like the teeth of a comb. Although microbeams still inevitably affect normal tissue, they don't cause as much damage as broad radiotherapy beams.
The design of microbeam radiation therapy relies on the “dose volume effect”. This suggests that reducing tissue volume Exposure to radiation Increases the flexibility of adjoining, normal tissue to resist damage. But tumor tissues are still affected because they're less viable. Repair damage in comparison with atypical people.
Prompt delivery of this treatment is essential, as small body movements – similar to respiratory or heartbeat – can blur this exact pattern, reducing the flexibility to avoid wasting healthy tissue.
Effects of Microbes
Preclinical studies on animals show that microbeam radiation therapy can Significantly slows cancer growth By limiting the tumor's ability to repair damage quickly. Healthy, nearby tissues were still viable. Fix yourself After exposure to the microbiome.
Animal studies have also shown microbeam radiation therapy to be effective in treating a variety of tumors – including tumors Central Nervous System, breast And The skin. Because of the high tolerance of the central nervous system to microbeams, the therapy has also been tried as a tool to cut back brain overactivity within the treatment of neurological conditions. Epilepsy.
Katrina Kahn/Shutterstock
This therapy appears to be particularly helpful for treating tumors in sensitive areas similar to the brain, because it primarily targets tumor tissue. This means less damage to normal tissue, and fewer complications – unlike current radiotherapy, which may cause this. Neurological effects Like memory loss. This may make microbeam radiation therapy an especially necessary treatment for youngsters. Brain and central nervous system Tumors – because their developing brains are more vulnerable to radiation damage.
Another reason why microbeam radiation therapy could also be more practical than conventional radiotherapy is due to extremely rapid delivery of radiation. Depletes oxygen contained in the cells. This reduction creates a brief low-oxygen environment, which makes cells more proof against radiation. But because tumor cells are sometimes already in low-oxygen areas, they're still there. Vulnerable to treatment.
Next Steps
Microbeam radiation therapy remains to be within the experimental stage. This means it has not yet been used to treat human patients.
This is partly since the therapy requires advanced facilities, called synchrotrons, to generate the suitable type of microbeams. These facilities are expensive, rare and never suitable for each day clinical use as their primary scope is currently research.
But more Compact Sources are being developed – which could potentially occur. Produce microbiome With proper features. They can be utilized in a hospital environment.
Much stays to be discovered about microbeam radiation therapy – similar to a few of the radiobiological processes behind its effects and the way to effectively mix it with existing treatments. Much work can also be being done to develop the technology for clinical use. These questions have to be answered before we are able to safely use this treatment on patients.
But as research and technology proceed to evolve, these advances will bring us closer to an efficient treatment. It's remarkable to think that such narrow beams of radiation could have such a profound effect on the way in which we fight cancer.