Radiotherapy Treatment - MRI Scan

What’s Next For Gamma Knife Radiosurgery & AI Technology?

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One of the most effective and advanced treatment resources for brain tumours and vascular malformations is Gamma Knife radiosurgery, which first came to the fore during the 1960s and which has continued to evolve quickly ever since.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) over the last year or so, new and exciting opportunities are starting to emerge… some of which have just been published in the spring edition of SCOPE magazine, with contributions from our own clinical team, including Ian Paddick (consultant physicist at Queen Square) and Hannah Bouas (radiosurgery physicist at Thornbury Radiosurgery Centre).

The focus here is on AI-driven auto-contouring for tumour segmentation, achieving greater levels of precision and more consistent patient outcomes in stereotactic radiosurgery.

Read on to find out more about the key conclusions drawn in the Scope piece.

AI-driven auto-contouring for advanced precision

AI-driven auto-contouring for tumour segmentation is a significant breakthrough in Gamma Knife technology, moving away from manual processes that are time consuming and subject to risks posed by human interpretation, particularly in lesions and tumours that don’t have clearly defined boundaries.

Using AI frameworks allow clinicians to segment tumour boundaries with the equivalent accuracy to human annotators, the advantages of which include:

– Reduced human error: Consistency is achieved through AI automation, lowering the risk of inaccurate results while reducing variability and oversights significantly.

– Enhanced patient outcomes: AI tools ensure greater accuracy of tumour segmentation, resulting in more precise radiation delivery to tumour cells and reducing damage risks to healthy brain tissue, as well as reducing the risks of complications and side-effects.

– Efficiency gains: Automation allows for more efficient contour detection in much shorter timescales, thus allowing for faster overall treatment times and reduced waiting lists.

Potential limitations of AI

Although the Scope article does note that AI is an incredibly valuable tool, models for auto-contouring still have some limitations, such as incomplete training data that may not generalise across diverse populations, or imaging noise that results in false positives.

While AI will undoubtedly become more important as a resource in the future, for now clinical oversight and judgement of contouring processes will still be necessary, particularly for more complex cases such as brain metastases.

Amethyst Radiotherapy France Featured on Check-Up Santé

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Acclaimed French television show Check-Up Santé on BFM TV , which focuses on health information and regularly invites medical experts onto the stage to discuss important topics of the day, has asked Olivier Cosset, CEO of Amethyst Radiothérapie France, to appear as a guest on Saturday, 22nd February and Sunday 23rd February.

Mr Cossett will be on the BFM TV flagship health programme talking in depth about the latest innovations in radiotherapy and the increasingly important role the practice has to play in modern cancer treatment, delivering insights into how it is evolving to make cancer treatment more effective and accessible.

“Radiotherapy is undergoing a true revolution, with advancements that are making treatments more precise, efficient, and accessible to more patients than ever before. At Amethyst Radiothérapie France, we are committed to bringing the latest innovations in radiotherapy to improve patient care and outcomes. I look forward to discussing these exciting developments on Check-Up Santé with Fabien Guez and shedding light on how radiotherapy is shaping the future of cancer treatment.”

– Olivier Cosset, CEO of Amethyst Radiothérapie France

Amethyst Radiothépie is one of the biggest private providers of radiotherapy services in France, providing cutting-edge treatments to enhance the patient journey and improve health outcomes across the board.

The episode is due to air on 22nd February at 14:00 EST and Sunday 23rd February at 15:00 EST on BFM TV. Make sure you tune in to hear a truly fascinating discussion on radiotherapy innovation and what the future of cancer care will look like.

Also featuring on the show will be Professor Jean-Emmanuel Bibault, who will be talking about the long history of cancer (which dates all the way back to prehistoric times), just one of the points raised in his book Cancer Confidential: L’histoire du cancer, des secrets d’hier aux revolutions de demain.

radiotherapy centre

Understanding The Use Of Radiation In Cancer Treatment

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For anybody needing radiotherapy, the prospect can be daunting and includes a lot of uncertainty. Some of that will centre on the prognosis and be based on a lack of detailed knowledge of the nature of your condition. However, in the course of your treatment at our radiotherapy centre you will receive plenty of information about this.

Allied to this will be uncertainty about the use of radiotherapy. The fact it involves radiation may be unnerving for some, since radioactivity is usually perceived as a harmful thing. For this reason, you will receive lots of information about what is involved, how treatment is delivered and how it will benefit you as a patient.

Understanding Radiation

The first thing to understand about radiation is that it is everywhere. Background radiation is naturally present in the environment, we get some from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, and we are exposed to it at low levels from some electrical devices.

It is even naturally present in some foods, such as bananas with their high potassium content.

This fact has even led to the establishment of the ‘Banana Equivalent Dose’ measurement of radiation, which is extremely low compared to dangerous doses (such as those associated with nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima), but helps provide an example of how safe the levels of radiation exposure are in most cases.

Understood correctly, radiation is like many other things in only being harmful in large quantities. A good example of this would be salt, which is important for our health in low quantities, but in large amounts can cause health problems (especially in the liver).

Radiation And Radiotherapy

This may leave you wondering about just how much radiation is involved in radiotherapy. As a banana equivalent dose, it is undoubtedly high, much more so than other medical procedures and scans you might have.

For instance, the radiation exposure of a dental X-ray is the equivalent of the radiation contained in two bananas. A chest X-ray may be as high as 1,000, a mammogram will be 20,000 and a chest CT scan is much higher still at 70,000.

The level of radiation that would prove fatal within a fortnight is vastly higher than this, at 100,000. This is five times as high as the dose of radiation you will receive in targeted radiotherapy.

If that still sounds like a very high dose, it is, but it is also why radiotherapy is given in limited doses and targeted specifically at the area affected by cancer. This means that a tumour can be shrunk by the radiation damaging its cell DNA, preventing it from repairing cells which consequently die.

However, such exposure can also damage surrounding healthy tissue, which is what causes the various side effects of radiotherapy. This is why your oncologist will explain these to you so you know what to expect and how to cope. Side effects can include hair loss, a loss of appetite, gastric problems and fatigue, so it is important to be prepared.

Some effects can be long-lasting and affect you long after the treatment has concluded, such as your skin looking or feeling different, hair not growing back as well, and, most significantly, infertility in cases where abdominal doses of radiation were given. However, most symptoms will soon fade away.

The Importance Of Precision

To minimise these symptoms, your treatment will be delivered with great precision, using the latest technology. Although radiotherapy has been used in cancer treatment since the turn of the 20th century, it has been refined considerably down the years, partly due to growing scientific understanding of radiation and, latterly, more precise tools.

What this does is enable the dose of cancer cell-damaging radiation to be aimed exactly where it needs to be, with little or no damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Several devices have been designed to do this in different ways, depending on what kind of cancer it is and where it is located.

For example, the invention of the gamma knife in the 1960s provided an instrument that could provide particularly precise beams of intense radiation.

This made it ideal for use in treating brain tumours, providing a method of shrinking them without the need for invasive surgery (although, in practice, there will be instances where both methods will be used during treatment).

Staying Informed

If you are a patient with us, we will provide you with extensive information about what radiotherapy involves, both in general terms and regarding the specific form of treatment that is best suited to your circumstances.

This will ensure that you can play a part in decision-making about your treatment and that you go into every session fully aware of everything that is going on, giving you confidence and assurance in the treatment you receive.

radiotherapy

Can You Exercise While Undergoing Treatment For Cancer?

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The treatment pathway for cancer once diagnosed will focus on the treatments, medications, radiotherapy and other specialist care that will provide the best possible outcomes, but cancer care does not begin nor does it end with primary treatment.

Maintaining your physical and mental health is vital for treatments to be successful, and whilst exercise and physical activity are essential throughout your life and can in some cases help reduce or remove certain risk factors for cancer according to Cancer Research UK, it also has many benefits during treatment.

A common question that oncologists are asked is about the level of exercise that is advised or recommended for people undergoing cancer treatment.

This is a somewhat more difficult question to answer as whilst exercise is safe and often can help relieve certain symptoms of treatment, every case is different and an exercise plan needs to work with the body.

Your oncologist or a specialist nurse can give you tailored advice, but here are some answers to some general questions when it comes to cancer treatment.

How Much Exercise Should You Do?

Everyone has different levels of activity which work best for them, and the golden rule of exercise is that any physical activity you do will contribute to improved health.

The answer will vary considerably depending on the type of treatment you are receiving, your general level of fitness and any health complications.

Whilst the NHS advice when it comes to fitness is to aim for 150 minutes of physical activity a week, any amount of physical activity will make a difference.

The more exercise you are able to do, the better, but listen to your body as well.

Do You Need To Be Consistent?

The NHS advice is often treated as a consistent target to hit and that you must do 21 minutes of exercise every day, which is not always necessarily feasible. Anyone undergoing long-term treatment will have days when they have more energy than others.

Start with gentle exercise in relatively short bursts, listening to your body in the process to know when to stop.

You do not need to be consistently meeting or breaking personal targets each and every day but try to do something active if you can at all, even if it is a short walk around the house or around the block.

The benefits of consistently being active will be felt as you continue to exercise. As you exercise more, the more you will build yourself up to longer and more intense workouts going forward.

Which Types Of Exercises Are Best?

Your specialist team will be able to provide specific advice, but the best exercises are those that you enjoy and that you feel you can do consistently. Many people will be prescribed physiotherapy specifically to get themselves started, but most gentle exercises can be undertaken by anyone undergoing cancer treatment.

The best exercises are those that push your body but not so much as to risk injury. Whilst more vigorous exercise will provide greater benefits, overtraining or training when you are sore or stiff can be counterproductive.

You could, for example, engage in pursuits such as walking, gentle yoga, light strength training, or water aerobics, all of which you can tailor to suit your own fitness ability, range of motion and mobility. What is important is to listen to your body and pay attention to the cues it gives you so you don’t over-exert yourself.

Are There Any Exercises To Avoid?

There are some types of exercises which may need to be avoided depending on the type of treatment you are undertaking.

For example, people who are undergoing treatment for bone cancer should avoid exercises which might put a strain on the bones. Hydrotherapy and swimming are excellent exercises as they provide both support and gentle resistance, allowing people to exercise more than they otherwise would.

Alongside this, certain types of surgery require some rest before a return to a full exercise regime, although in most cases there will be exercises you can do to keep yourself active before you can return to your usual routine.

Some cancer treatments can affect the immune system, and if you are used to exercising in public gyms, you should ask your medical team when you can start exercising again in order to avoid the risk of infection.

Adjusting Exercise Based on Treatment Side Effects

In the specific case of radiotherapy treatment, if you have areas of sensitive skin, make sure to wear clothing that is both loose and gentle to avoid rubbing and irritation.

It is also worth asking your radiotherapy team about swimming, as some pools use chemical treatments that can irritate sensitive skin depending on what type of treatment you receive.

If you are struggling with balance, coordination, muscle strength or numbness, then an exercise bike or gentle hydrotherapy can be beneficial forms of exercise instead. A physiotherapist can also help you to regain your balance and avoid falling.

Amethyst Radiotherapy UK Appoints Sasha Burns as New CEO.

Amethyst Group appoints Sasha Burns as CEO of UK Operations

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Amethyst Group is pleased to welcome Sasha Burns as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UK Operations. With a strong background in healthcare leadership, strategic growth, and operational excellence, Sasha will play a key role in advancing Amethyst’s radiotherapy services and expanding access to world-class cancer treatment.

Bringing over 20 years of experience across both the NHS and independent sector, Sasha has a proven track record in transformational healthcare leadership. She previously held senior leadership roles at Alliance Medical, where she served as Chief Commercial and Operations Officer, and Nuffield Health, where she oversaw a network of hospitals and well-being centres. Her expertise spans business transformation, patient care innovation, and operational strategy.

With a background as a radiographer and an MBA from Henley Business School, Sasha combines clinical insight with strategic leadership, making her well-positioned to enhance Amethyst Group’s commitment to pioneering radiotherapy services.

“I am excited to join Amethyst Group and contribute to its mission of delivering innovative, high-quality radiotherapy care. As demand for advanced cancer treatments grows, I look forward to supporting the UK operations in expanding access and driving excellence,” said Sasha Burns.

Amethyst Group continues to strengthen its clinical expertise, patient-focused care, and cutting-edge radiotherapy technology across its European network. Sasha’s appointment reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation, growth, and leadership in oncology care.

radiotherapy centre - hodling hands

Different Support Therapies During Your Cancer Treatment

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The most effective cancer treatments do not start and end in a radiotherapy centre but focus on ensuring that anyone who is diagnosed receives the physical and mental support they need to have the best chance of the best outcome.

Oncology specialists know more than anyone else that cancer treatment is inherently holistic in nature, and highly effective radiotherapy also needs to be combined with a wider, supportive approach that ensures that people know that they do not need to fight this alone.

Whilst this is important for its own sake, especially given how much cancer can affect people mentally, a complete support system has a considerable impact not just on mental well-being, but also on the effectiveness of many cancer treatments and their long-term outcomes.

According to some studies, chronic stress can cause cancers to advance, and conversely, support therapies have been linked to better clinical outcomes.

With that in mind here are some of the support options available during cancer treatment.

Psychological Support

From the moment of diagnosis, counselling is available, and can be organised in whichever way a person feels most comfortable with, and there often various types of talking therapies available based on what a person needs at the time.

Some people prefer a one-to-one therapy session where they can work through with a professional the often powerful and complex feelings that inevitably come with a diagnosis or over the course of treatment.

At the same time, other people prefer having family members or loved ones with them during support meetings, and all of this can be arranged in the best way possible to help the healing process.

Alternatively, it can also be undertaken in a group therapy setting, as it can often be incredibly helpful for someone to discuss their experiences with people who are going through the same types of experiences and can discuss ways in which they managed to work through.

Support Groups

Whilst structured therapy is available, there are also more informal support groups available that are set up for people to discuss their experiences outside of a therapeutic setting, which can sometimes be necessary to ensure people can open up.

It can also be a place where people going through treatment can share advice and discuss the everyday ways in which cancer can affect people, as well as make new friends and become part of a community at the same time.

As well as this, it can help to talk to someone who has undertaken the same or similar treatments and compare experiences, which can do a lot of help with the understandable fears that can arise when major treatments are suggested and planned.

Finally, it can be a place to regain confidence. Cancer can affect not only the relationships you have with other people but the one you have with yourself.

There are a lot of different groups, some of which specialise in a specific type of cancer, some are small enough to take place in someone’s house whilst others fill a function room. Some involve guest speakers and activities, whilst others are more informal and about discussing feelings.

As well as this, much like the treatment centre, a support group can be an excellent place to not only find other people but find other support services, such as massages, yoga, mindfulness meditation and other complementary therapies to discuss with your doctor.

Nutritional Support

Given that nutrition and diet can have a considerable effect on both mental well-being and physical health.

One of the main first steps of prehabilitation, the steps taken to get ready for treatment, as well as during and after treatment, doctors and the rest of the support team can provide advice and guidance about the small lifestyle, nutrition and dietary choices that can be made to help with recovery.

As with anything diet related, a small change that sticks is far more important than attempting an unrealistic plan and being unable to keep it consistently. Adding a few vegetables to existing meals, drinking less alcohol rather than quitting entirely and doing some exercise will all make huge differences.

The treatment team will explore a person’s individual circumstances and give sustainable advice, with explanations for how they can help mitigate the effects of treatment, with full nutritional information, monitoring of BMI and weight, as well as interviews during consultations.

Nutrition and physical activity do not just help with physical health but they can both improve mood and mental wellbeing, making them a vital part of treatment available to people that are undergoing cancer treatment.

radiotherapy centre - radiologist looking at the MRI image

World Cancer Day Highlights That Every Patient Is Unique

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To be told you have cancer is a mortifying experience and one nobody ever wants to have to deal with, but the good news is that treatments are advancing all the time and that the prognosis for most patients is far better than it used to be.

There are various reasons people tend to live longer after a diagnosis, including the quality of treatment, the development of new and more effective drugs and better screening to bring about early diagnosis.

However, another very important factor is the understanding that the right treatment for one patient might not be the best way forward for another. This is partly about the treatment schedule and methods, but also the personal aspect.

Treating every individual patient as unique is not just a matter of good service or dignity, but a necessary means of maximising the chances of each patient beating their cancer or, short of that, extending life by as much as possible. This is the approach we take at our radiotherapy centre.

World Cancer Day Campaign Is All About Unique People

The importance of seeing every patient in unique terms is to be the theme of this year’s World Cancer Day on February 4th. The title of the theme is ‘Unique by Unique’ and the campaign of awareness based on this philosophy will run until 2027.

Stating that “behind every diagnosis lies a unique human story – stories of grief, pain, healing, resilience, love and more,” the campaign notes that the best health outcomes take a holistic approach, which incorporates a wide range of needs.

A particular theme of the campaign is the notion that medics should “treat the person, not just the disease” as a means of people-centred care. It notes that cancer patients “don’t always feel heard, seen or understood.”

This highlights the fact that your journey when fighting cancer will be your own for a range of reasons. Some people may be stoic in the face of adversity, some may feel angry but determined to fight the disease. Others may find it puts extreme strain on their mental well-being and relationships and need some particular support.

As a result, the treatment you need will not just be what you get from a gamma knife or a linear accelerator. It will also be about helping you deal with the emotional side, the practical arrangements you may need to make to deal with changed life circumstances and the connections you may need with those who can help, such as support groups.

Giving Guidance

Patient support need not be just external, however. One of the issues is the confusion and lack of guidance and information some people face when navigating their way through health systems.

The exact problem may vary from country to country as the systems are different, with those seeking private care then encountering something new again, but by providing lots of information and helping patients know their rights, we can help. In doing this, patients really can know we are treating them and not just their cancer.

Of course, tailoring care is also about the treatment itself. Some people may have more radiotherapy than others. Some may have it combined with surgery or chemotherapy, depending on their own medical circumstances.

Why Personal Factors Make A Difference

Underpinning all of this will be other personal factors such as age, genetics and underlying health. How far the disease has progressed when you are diagnosed and how far it subsequently progresses are further factors in shaping treatment, while ongoing treatment decisions may be made by assessing how well patients respond to therapies given already.

A critical way in which this variation in treatment and the personalisation of care are brought together is in the way you will be given information and involved in making decisions about treatment.

This can work itself out in different ways. There are instances, especially with end-of-life situations, where a patient may decide not to undergo further treatment to minimise side-effects while making the most of the time they have left.

In other instances, some patients may be very willing to undergo a certain treatment that contains risk, or involves trials of a new drug. Above all, people will appreciate being kept in the loop and treated as individuals with specific medical and supplementary needs.

The big hope is that the three year campaign will help to make some changes in how cancer treatment is provided, with the whole process being more consensual, more informative, but also centred on the needs of every individual, recognising that they differ.

If you need cancer treatment, you are not just another patient. You are unique. That is why we will aim to fulfil the aims of the World Cancer Day campaign.

radiotherapy centre - nutritious food

How Important Is Good Nutrition For Post-Cancer Recovery?

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Cancer treatment does not start nor end at the radiotherapy centre but is often a fairly lengthy process both leading up to treatment and once you are declared cancer-free. In that sense, it is more akin to a marathon rather than a sprint.

Because of this, whilst the most critical part of your cancer treatment will be the radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgery prescribed, the preparations following diagnosis and the regime for recovery following are also incredibly vital parts of ensuring long-term health.

A big part of that is nutrition. Whilst a balanced, healthy diet can help in some respects to reduce the risk of cancer to begin with, where nutrition perhaps matters most is in recovering from cancer.

Good nutrition and a healthy diet help you to regain your strength and energy quicker, rebuild damaged and destroyed tissue from the procedures and treatments undertaken to remove any cancerous matter, and have positive impacts on both your physical and mental health.

Patterns Rather Than Prescriptions

Everyone who is recovering from cancer will have a different experience and no two healing schedules will be quite alike. As long as you are making overall progress in your recovery, it is natural for some people to spend longer recovering than others.

Generally, once your treatment is finished, so too will most of the side effects that relate to eating and nutrition. You might notice actively that your appetite improves soon after cancer treatment, but in other cases, it can take time.

The doctors involved with your treatment will let you know of any additional dietary requirements you may have following treatment, but for the most part, you can continue to follow a healthy diet following cancer treatment and it will help boost recovery.

What is important to note given the near-endless advice regarding what people should and should not eat following cancer treatment is that what matters is not the individual foods you eat but the overall patterns in your diet.

This means that much like how a restrictive diet you do not follow will not improve your health, having a healthy diet overall but with some flexibility to eat out or occasionally eat something less than healthy will not impact your recovery.

A Diet For Prevention Is A Diet For Recovery

The golden rule for setting up a recovery diet is that anything that helps to reduce the risk of cancer will also aid in cancer recovery.

This allows for a remarkable level of flexibility, as almost any healthy diet will generally help to reduce the risk of cancer as it helps people to maintain a healthy weight, reduce the cell damage that is linked to cancer and provide a boost of energy needed to get active.

Generally, when it comes to cancer prevention, the two main types of ingredients that should be included are foods rich in fibre, such as wholegrains, oats and brown rice, and dairy products or dairy alternatives such as soy, coconut and almond milk.

Both reduce the risk of bowel cancer, the former through several processes in the digestive system and the latter through calcium.

Fibre also has the side effect of helping you feel fuller for longer, which makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight, which means that foods high in fibre are also part of most healthy and balanced diets.

Besides these, fruits and vegetables, and healthy sources of protein such as chicken, turkey, fish, lentils and beans form the foundations of a balanced diet and contribute towards overall recovery following cancer treatment.

Avoiding red meat (such as pork and beef) processed meat (such as bacon, sausages and burgers), foods rich in sugar and foods high in calories in general will help aid in recovery and naturally guide you towards food that improves overall health, which in turn helps with recovery and reducing the risk of cancer in the future.

Benefits To Mind As Well As Body

One of the biggest benefits people note when they look towards a post-cancer diet is how empowering it feels and how much control it gives people during and after their recovery.

It is not a panacea, and a lot of reporting on the relationship between foods and cancer risk is unhelpful because it focuses on individual ingredients, but it is an active step people can take to give themselves the best quality of life.

It also helps improve your mood and well-being, both of which are critical parts of cancer prevention in their own right but also can help boost energy levels and provide motivation to keep active, which is the other big step in helping prevent cancer.

Radiotherapy treatment - Patient Radiation therapy mask

Radiotherapy Treatment Success Better For Non-Smokers

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The increased risk of developing cancers among smokers has been widely publicised over the years, but research has found that those who quit their habit are also more likely to achieve success with their radiotherapy treatment. 

Smokers can develop long-term problems during treatment

Cancer Research UK has recently published research showing that smokers have a greater chance of developing long-term problems when undergoing treatment for breast cancer. 

Radiotherapy is a standard treatment given to cancer patients, as it has been shown to be one of the most effective means of destroying cancer cells and reducing the risk of it returning. 

However, there is a very small chance that other tissue, such as the lungs, can get an incidental dose of the radiotherapy. This could result in patients developing complications from their treatment, such as radiation-induced lung cancer.

However, Carolyn Taylor, professor of Oncology at The University of Oxford, reassured patients that “for people who don’t smoke, the risks of developing a radiation-induced lung cancer are very, very small”.

This is unless they are long-term smokers who do not give up when they start their breast cancer treatment, as their risk is much higher. 

Taylor’s team of researchers found that the risk of dying from lung cancer due to their treatment for non-smokers is less than one per cent. Therefore, it is much safer for them to go ahead with the treatment to eradicate breast cancer and give them the best chance of survival. 

However, this risk increases to up to six per cent for smokers that carry on with their habit during treatment. 

Quitting can reduce this risk

The study also showed that long-term smokers who are able to quit before their radiotherapy can substantially reduce their risk of developing radiation-induced lung cancer. 

It could even fall to as low as those who have never smoked before, which is why it is really beneficial for smokers to try and break their habit before they undergo radiotherapy if they can. 

Taylor recognises that this could be too much to ask from lots of smokers, as receiving a breast cancer diagnosis is already a “really stressful time”. 

She added: “For long-term smokers, trying to give up smoking just after being diagnosed with cancer strikes me as a really big ask.”

Therefore, it is important they seek out the available smoking cessation resources if they do think they are able to do it, as it could have a big impact on their future health. 

How the Tobacco and Vapes Bill could help

The government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which was introduced in parliament on November 5th 2024, could help current and future patients have the most successful cancer treatment possible. 

It will do this by extending the indoor smoking ban to certain outdoor settings, such as children’s playgrounds and outside schools and hospitals, and preventing the sale of tobacco products to anyone who is 15 or younger this year to create a smoke-free generation. 

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: “Unless we act to help people stay healthy, the rising tide of ill-health in our society threatens to overwhelm and bankrupt our NHS. Prevention is better than cure.”

Smoking alone kills 80,000 people in the UK every year, and more than 100 GP appointments an hour are attributed to smoking. 

When it comes to cancer, two in three long-term smokers are likely to die from a smoking-related disease and tobacco smoke causes 27 per cent of cancer deaths in the UK. 

It is the cause of at least 16 types of cancer, as well as other conditions, such as heart disease. It is also the biggest cause of lung cancer in the country, accounting for six in ten cases. 

The longer someone smokes, the greater risk they have of poor health, which is why it is essential not to put off quitting, as one day they might need radiotherapy for breast cancer and smoking will increase their risk of developing lung cancer from their treatment. 

Improvements in radiotherapy

Although smokers might find this research worrying, the good news is that radiotherapy treatments are improving all the time. Not only is the course of medication becoming much shorter, so patients do not have to undergo long, difficult treatments, but it is also much more targeted.

Therefore, the likelihood of the radiation hitting healthy tissue is much lower than it used to be. 

Stereotactic radiosurgery, such as GammaKnife, works by targeting the tumour from different directions. This specific aim means there is a reduced chance of it passing through other cells, and it has very little impact on any tissue it does hit. 

These highly-focused beams of energy are typically used to treat small tumours, as they are much more targeted. 

This form of treatment would be a good choice for smokers, therefore, limiting the impact on radiation on their already unhealthy lungs.

first linear accelerator technology IMRT - radiotherapy treatment

How Can Linac-Based Radiotherapy Help Treat Patients

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Some patients who need to undergo radiotherapy will be told about linear accelerators, which are also known as linacs.

These machines provide external beam radiation to treat cancer patients, as they deliver targeted rays into the patient’s tumour. 

How do linac machines work?

Linac-based radiotherapy works by using high-energy X-Rays. They speed up electrons and conform them to the tumour’s shape and size. These then collide with a heavy metal target, which produces the X-Rays. 

When these are aimed at the cancer, they destroy the invasive cells but, as they are the right size and shape and specifically targeted, they do not harm the healthy ones. 

Therefore, it is effective at keeping surrounding tissue safe, which is why it is a popular choice of radiotherapy treatment. 

It can be used on all areas of the body, with the patient lying on a moveable couch. Lasers make sure they are in the correct position, so the radiation is beamed at the right area exactly.

The X-Rays come out of an area of the machine called a gantry, and this can be rotated around the couch, so that the X-Rays can be delivered to the tumour from a number of angles, helping to fully attack the cancerous cells. 

The amount of time the patient is in the accelerator will be down to their oncologist, who will also determine the dose they need. Once they have prescribed the treatments, the treatments are usually carried out by radiation therapists. 

At the same time, the number of treatments they require will depend on the severity of their cancer and how much radiation therapy it requires. Typically, patients have their treatment spread over a course of a few weeks. 

Although patients will hear a buzzing noise while the accelerator is on, they will not feel any pain during the treatment. 

What is it used to treat?

Linac-based radiation therapy is commonly used on malignant tumours, as it can deliver high doses to the cancerous cells. It is also used for benign lesions, with electrons being beams being used on superficial lesions.

They can also be used for Total Skin Electron Therapy (TSET), which treats cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. This condition, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, involves lymphomas appearing on the skin all over the body. 

Linac is also used in Total Body Irradiation (TBI), which provides the body with a low dose of immunosuppression, and is typically used during bone marrow transplantation procedures. 

Patients undergoing prone breast irradiation may also need linac radiation, as this helps reduce radiation toxicity to the lung and heart by letting the patient lie on their front for the treatment. 

Prostate treatment with a hydrogel space also requires a linear accelerator technology. This procedure involves injecting liquid Hydrogel between the prostate and the rectum so there is extra space in this area, reducing the toxicity from the radiation. 

Side effects of linac radiotherapy?

Like all radiotherapy, linac-based treatments come with side effects. 

These can include irritated, dry, red or itchy skin at the site of the radiation; loss of appetite or difficulty swallowing; bladder irritation and urinary problems; changes in bowel habits; headaches and fatigue; and low immunity due to it affecting bone marrow function. 

What other types of treatments are available?

While linear accelerator radiation treatments are very effective at destroying cancer cells, there are other procedures available. 

For instance, internal radiation therapy might be a better option for some patients, such as those with head, neck, breast, cervix, prostate and eye cancers. As these can be harder to treat in a linac machine, oncologists could prescribe internal radiation therapy, such as brachytherapy, instead.

Alternatively, stereotactic radiotherapy or radiosurgery is a better option for those with brain tumours, as this involves higher doses of radiation in a reduced number of sessions. 

As well as brain cancers, it can be used to treat other small tumours with millimetric accuracy, whether they are primary or secondary cancers. 

Doctors might also suggest Arc Therapy or Rapid Arc Therapy (VMAT) instead, as this is another effective treatment for cancer.

This involves a radiation beam moving around the tumour in an arc, automatically changing the dose as it moves. Subsequently, this ensures healthy cells receive as minimal an amount of radiation exposure as possible. 

Treatment times for this form of therapy is typically only a few minutes, which means patients can be treated more quickly and avoid nasty side effects.