A novel smart radiotherapy machine used only at a few select organizations around the world, is now available at Anadolu Medical Center

While cancer cases continue to rise globally, promising treatment related developments are also underway. The MR Linac machine, which has recently gained prominence within the field of smart radiotherapy, commands attention with its cutting-edge technology. Thanks to the machine, which is available in limited numbers around the world, tumor and organ movement can be tracked online. Thus, the tumor can be monitored real-time and high-precision radiation can be administered. This feature, called CMM (Comprehensive Motion Management), is available at 5 centers around the world and only at Anadolu Medical Center Hospital in Türkiye for now. Providing information on the MR Linac machine, Prof. Hale Başak Çağlar, Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Anadolu Medical Center, said: “This machine targets only the tumor and reduces the total radiation that the patient receives by giving a minimal dose to other organs. The machine, which can determine the precise location of moving tumors and the intact organs around them, acts almost like a navigation machine and ensures that radiation is delivered to the exact location."

According to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, cancer cases in Europe will increase by 22.5 percent over the next 20 years. This means that the number of cases, which stood at around 20 million in 2022, will exceed 30 million this year. While the number of cases is increasing worldwide, developments in cancer treatment give us hope. With the help of MR Linac smart radiotherapy machines, which are available only at a few centers around the world, tumor and organ movement can be tracked, so that the tumor can be monitored instantaneously, and high-precision radiation can be administered. A new addition to MR Linacs, a novel machine called CMM (Comprehensive Motion Management), can perform treatments by taking movement into account. This modality is available in 5 centers around the world and only at Anadolu Medical Center Hospital in Türkiye.

Serves as navigation, delivers radiation to the to the exact location

Explaining that MR Linac is a radiotherapy machine that provides high quality images, Prof. Dr. Hale Başak Çağlar, Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Anadolu Medical Center, said: “The machine can determine the precise location of moving tumors and the intact organs around them. The machine acts as a navigator and ensures that radiation is delivered to the exact location. In this way, while the treated tumor volumes are reduced, negative effects due to radiation are minimized.” Prof. Hale Başak Çağlar emphasized that with MR Linac, the radiation dose given to the patient can be re-adjusted in each session as required, and said, “It administers radiation with extraordinary precision, especially in the treatment of small tumors.”

The machine plays a crucial role in cases where cancer cells spread to different parts of the body or in the re-treatment of patients who have previously received radiotherapy. Prof. Hale Başak Çağlar listed the cancer types where the MR Linac machine is most commonly used as pancreatic, liver, prostate, rectal cancers, head and neck cancers, breast cancers, kidney tumors as well as lung and brain tumors.

Real-time, high-quality imaging

Stating that traditional radiotherapy treatments require the use of a computed tomography image or a surgical procedure to place reference markers, Prof. Hale Başak Çağlar said, “However, compared to traditional methods, MR Linac can take an instant MR image during treatment without the need for extra radiation exposure. This means that it protects the patient from possible risks by reducing radiation exposure. Since the image quality is high, tumors are analyzed much more clearly. Thanks to the snapshots taken during the treatment, the patient's daily anatomical changes can be identified.”

Reduces side effects and improves quality of life following treatment

Adding that in this highly adaptive method the anatomical changes that occur during the treatment process are instantly evaluated and the treatment is easily optimized, Prof. Hale Başak Çağlar concluded: “As such, the patient's tumor is better targeted, the radiation dose to healthy tissues is minimized and healthy organs are protected from unnecessary radiation. MR Linac also improves the patient's quality of life after cancer treatment as it reduces radiation damage, also known as toxicity, in healthy organs.”