The Ultra-Fast Cancer Treatments That Could Replace Conventional Radiotherapy

A pioneering new treatment offers hope for tackling a wider range of cancers with fewer side effects compared to conventional radiotherapy. The most remarkable aspect? It takes less than a second.

Experiments in vast underground caverns at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, are paving the way for a new generation of radiotherapy machines. These devices could potentially cure complex brain tumors, target cancers that have metastasized to distant organs, and minimize the toll cancer treatments take on patients.

CERN, widely recognized for developing the Large Hadron Collider, is applying its expertise in accelerating high-energy particles to revolutionize cancer treatment. In 2012, the discovery of the Higgs boson showcased CERN’s capabilities, and now, researchers are turning their attention to medical applications.

Eleven years ago, radiobiologist Marie-Catherine Vozenin and her team at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) introduced the concept of Flash radiotherapy. By delivering radiation at ultra-high dose rates in exposures lasting less than a second, they found it possible to destroy tumors while sparing healthy tissue.

The impact of this discovery was immediate, prompting international experts to explore Flash in various preclinical trials involving rodents, pets, and now human patients.

Conventional radiotherapy typically requires multiple treatment sessions over several weeks, with each session lasting minutes. Despite advancements in precision targeting, the risk of damaging healthy tissues remains a challenge.

Flash radiotherapy offers an innovative alternative, particularly for pediatric brain tumors, where traditional treatments can result in significant cognitive side effects, including lifelong anxiety and depression.

According to Billy Loo, professor of radiation oncology at Stanford University, Flash allows for higher radiation doses with reduced harm to surrounding healthy tissue, potentially improving survival rates for patients with aggressive cancers, such as lung tumors that have spread to the brain.

Animal studies have demonstrated promising results. Mice subjected to Flash showed fewer side effects compared to traditional radiation treatments. Similar success has been observed in head and neck cancer treatments in animal models.

Human trials are now expanding worldwide. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is launching trials in children with metastatic cancer, while Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland is conducting Phase 2 trials for patients with localized skin cancer.

However, the future of Flash radiotherapy depends on determining the best type of radiation to use. Protons have been the preferred particle for Flash trials due to their ability to penetrate deep into the body and their compatibility with existing proton radiotherapy machines.

Developing new particle accelerators to facilitate Flash treatments is a significant challenge. High-energy electrons and carbon ions could offer alternative solutions, but current equipment is costly and limited to specialized centers worldwide.

CERN is collaborating with Lausanne University Hospital and commercial partners to develop more compact accelerators capable of delivering Flash radiation at very high energy levels. The goal is to make Flash therapy widely accessible, even in hospitals with standard radiotherapy facilities.

Flash radiotherapy could play a crucial role in addressing the “radiotherapy gap” in low- and middle-income countries, where access to treatment is limited. With fewer treatment sessions required and shorter exposure times, Flash has the potential to expand treatment capacity and reduce costs.

As research continues, experts remain optimistic that Flash radiotherapy could revolutionize cancer care, offering patients a more effective, efficient, and accessible treatment option.