Novel Cancer Treatment: How New Technology Is Changing Care

When people talk about novel cancer treatments, they usually mean newer or more targeted approaches that go beyond traditional surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

These treatments may include immunotherapy, targeted therapy, gene therapy, and other advanced techniques used alongside established methods.

Many of these approaches focus on the unique characteristics of cancer cells, aiming for a more precise, targeted approach. What’s appropriate for you depends on your specific diagnosis, stage, and overall treatment plan.

One area where technology plays an especially important role is radiation therapy—particularly when a tumor moves with breathing.

Tumor Motion in Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy requires precise targeting of the tumor to help protect nearby healthy tissue. Even small shifts in position can make it harder to ensure radiation is focused on the tumor rather than surrounding cells.

In the case of a moving tumor, such as one affected by normal breathing, it becomes much more challenging to deliver radiation exactly as planned. To account for this movement, clinicians may need to include larger treatment margins, which can increase radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissues.

Treating tumors near critical organs, such as the lungs, can be particularly complex because natural movement may affect how accurately radiation is delivered.

Image Guidance and Respiratory Gating

To address these challenges, cancer specialists use advanced imaging and motion-management technologies. These tools are designed to help align the tumor before and during treatment so radiation is delivered as accurately as possible.

One example of this technology is Varian’s On-Board Imager™ device, which is used in cancer treatment for image-guided patient positioning. By using imaging to confirm alignment, clinicians can help ensure the tumor is consistently positioned from session to session.

Along with imaging, respiratory gating helps synchronize radiation treatment with a patient’s breathing cycle. Respiratory gating is a non-invasive technique for dealing with tumor motion while radiation therapy is being administered.

How respiratory gating works:

• A small plastic block with reflective markers is positioned on the patient’s chest or upper abdomen
• An infrared camera tracks the movement of the block as the patient breathes
• A computer program records the normal breathing pattern and synchronizes radiation delivery
• Radiation is administered during a specific phase of the breathing cycle, and the beam may pause if breathing is disrupted

By timing radiation with breathing, this approach aims to help reduce unintended exposure to nearby healthy tissue.

Benefits and Limits of Motion Management

Advanced imaging technologies can help clinicians locate and align tumors accurately before and during treatment. The combination of imaging and motion management allows for tracking of tumor position, even when it moves with breathing.

This precision can help physicians adjust the radiation beam to limit exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. While these technologies are designed to support safer and more accurate treatment, side effects and outcomes vary depending on the cancer type, location, and overall care plan.

SBRT and Deep Inspiration Breath Hold

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is another option that delivers a high dose of local radiation to a targeted area. This treatment procedure takes only 1 to 5 sessions to complete.

SBRT key points include:

• High-dose, focused radiation delivered to a specific target
• Often completed in fewer sessions than traditional radiation
• Side effects depend on the area being treated
• Not every patient or cancer type is a candidate

Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) is another technique used during radiation therapy. It involves delivering treatment during a controlled breath hold, which can help stabilize the target area in certain situations.

DIBH key points:

• Uses a guided breath hold during treatment
• Can help reduce motion while radiation is delivered
• May help limit radiation exposure to nearby organs in selected cases
• Suitability depends on the individual treatment plan

Your oncology team will determine whether SBRT, DIBH, or other approaches are appropriate based on your diagnosis and overall health.

Schedule an appointment

The goal of novel cancer treatments is to improve patient outcomes by increasing treatment efficacy while reducing side effects and improving quality of life.

ACTC, a cancer treatment clinic in Florida, has begun using a unique combination of imaging and motion management technologies from Varian Medical Systems to treat a wide range of cancer cases involving moving tumors.

The oncologists at ACTC are also considering effective novel cancer treatment options, such as SBRT and DIBH. Contact us to schedule an appointment and discuss these new treatment options and personalized cancer care plans with our team.