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First Patient Enrolled in Pancreatic Cancer Study
The Henry Ford Cancer Institute has announced that it has enrolled the first patient in a new trial to test the effectiveness of precise, higher dose MRI-guided radiation therapy to treat pancreatic cancer.
“High-definition MRI and daily treatment plan adaptation allow us to deliver ablative radiation doses safely to pancreatic cancer patients for the first time ever,” Parag Parikh, MD, director of GI radiation oncology and MRI-guided radiation therapy at Henry Ford Cancer Institute, said in a press release.
Parikh, who is co-principal investigator for the 5-year Stereotactic MRI-guided on-table Adaptive Radiation Therapy (SMART) Trial, and colleagues anticipate enrolling 133 patients with borderline resectable or inoperable locally advanced pancreatic cancer, according to the release.
The institute, according to the release, became the first health care system in the world to treat patients using the FDA-approved ViewRay MRIdian Linac system in July 2017. The imaging system allows doctors to see the treatment area with a real-time MRI and help deliver precise radiation at the same time while more effectively protecting surrounding healthy tissue.
“Through the SMART trial, we will build upon the promising experience from other cancer institutions by further exploring MRI-guided therapy’s impact on associated toxicity, local control and patient outcomes in pancreatic cancer at multiple institutions around the world,” Parikh said.