Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Med Phys. 2023 Jun;50 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):58-61. doi: 10.1002/mp.16271. Epub 2023 Feb 21.
Conformality has been a key requirement in radiation therapy for cancer to minimize normal tissue toxicity while maintaining tumor control. Since 2014, there has been great interest in ultra-high dose rate (UHDR), "FLASH," radiation therapy to enhance this therapeutic window. In multiple pre-clinical studies, it was seen that normal tissue demonstrated less damage due to radiation of various modalities when the same dose was delivered at ultra-high mean dose rates exceeding ∼40 Gy/s while tumor control remained indifferent to changes in dose rate. The scientific community has large-scale interdisciplinary studies to investigate this potentially breakthrough technique to enhance treatment options for cancer. FLASH studies have been performed using a number of modalities and delivery techniques for many pre-clinical models. There have been several studies reporting evidence of the FLASH effect as well as technological developments relating to UHDR studies. There is sustained interest and motivation for this topic as well as many questions that are yet to be answered. We provide a short overview to highlight some of the major work and challenges to advance research in FLASH radiotherapy.
适形性一直是癌症放射治疗的关键要求，以尽量减少正常组织毒性，同时保持肿瘤控制。自 2014 年以来，人们对超高剂量率（UHDR）、“FLASH”放射治疗产生了浓厚的兴趣，以扩大这种治疗窗口。在多项临床前研究中，人们发现，当以超过 40Gy/s 的超高平均剂量率输送相同剂量时，各种方式的辐射对正常组织的损伤较小，而肿瘤控制对剂量率的变化没有影响。科学界进行了大规模的跨学科研究，以探索这种潜在的突破性技术，为癌症治疗提供更多选择。FLASH 研究已经使用多种模式和输送技术在许多临床前模型中进行。已经有几项研究报告了 FLASH 效应的证据，以及与 UHDR 研究相关的技术发展。人们对这个主题仍然有持续的兴趣和动力，还有许多问题有待回答。我们提供了一个简短的概述，重点介绍了一些主要的工作和挑战，以推进 FLASH 放射治疗的研究。
