New approach for advanced metastatic prostate cancer sufferers:

[Tonyliv]

New approach for advanced metastatic prostate cancer sufferers:

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[cesanon]

"The new approach combines two existing forms of radiotherapy – volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to target prostate cancer cells in the pelvis, along with a type of internal radiotherapy drug called radium 223 that targets the disease in the bones.

VMAT is delivered externally with a machine called a linear accelerator, in daily hospital visits over two months."

I wonder what it is accelerating?

[Stegosaurus37 in reply to cesanon]

It accelerates subatomic particles

[cesanon in reply to Stegosaurus37]

That can only be protons then?

That would be sort of strange though. They are very plnpoint precise (compared to x-rays) and they are bathing the pelvis with it.

[Stegosaurus37 in reply to cesanon]

The acceleration is to add energy to the particle. I'm not familiar with the medical use - usually it's to smash the particle to study its components. But you are correct in that it has a very precise point of delivery.

[cesanon in reply to Stegosaurus37]

There is not a lot it can be other than protons.

Electrons are basically xrays (electromagnetic radiation) and neutrons aren't going to do much of anything.

[pjoshea13]

I must admit to a sinking sensation when I see a Daily Mail link.

"Twin radiation blasts that curb prostate cancer could prolong thousands of lives"

based on an unpublished safety study involving only 28 men (!)

Joe O'Sullivan appeared in a panel discussion last November & I believe there is a reference to the study:

youtube.com/watch?v=sNElxhG...(Not working as expected?)

See also:

youtube.com/watch?v=B1toEKq...(Not working as expected?)

{The silent guy is Johann de Bono, Royal Marsden.}

youtube.com/watch?v=rfzIvbr...(Not working as expected?) (2018)

urotoday.com/video-lectures...

-Patrick