A new way to deliver radiotherapy that rotates patients in sync with the treatment beam could treat patients with brain cancer as accurately and quickly as the most advanced radiotherapy.
The treatment uses a technique called Dynamic Couch Rotation to carefully synchronise the position of patients with the motion of the radiation beam.
For five patients with brain cancer, scientists calculated the new technique was as accurate as advanced radiotherapy, called Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT).
Harmful or debilitating side effects can limit the benefit of radiotherapy treatment for patients with brain cancer, but the new technique can deliver effective doses of radiation while reducing exposure to sensitive brain tissue nearby.