Roswell Park First in Region to Offer New Treatment for Tumors

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is proud to be the first care provider in the region to begin offering adaptive radiation therapy. This advanced new treatment option is a more personalized and precise form of radiation therapy most beneficial for patients with tumors in areas of the body that may change or shift due to treatment or day to day life.

Adaptive radiation therapy uses state-of-the-art technology to enable a linear accelerator — the device used to deliver radiation used in medical treatment — to target cancer. The advanced technology in use at Roswell Park incorporates artificial intelligence to help the medical team determine the status, shape, size and position of the tumor in real time. 

During traditional radiation therapy, a radiation oncology team determines where to target the radiation to limit the effect to surrounding healthy tissue. Each radiation treatment will follow this plan, even though throughout the course of treatment there can be changes within the body. Natural processes such as digestion can change the size and location of important structures.  Certain types of tumors can also respond more quickly to radiation, causing them to shrink in size and make other tissues more susceptible to the radiation. With adaptive radiation therapy, the oncology team at Roswell Park can identify these changes and make immediate adjustments to a treatment plan. 

“Introducing adaptive radiation therapy is an important milestone for cancer care in our region,” says Mark Farrugia, MD, PhD, a physician and faculty member with Roswell Park’s Department of Radiation Medicine. “This tool gives us the ability to modify treatment plans on the spot, accommodating daily changes in a patient’s anatomy. Our Adaptive Radiation Therapy program reflects Roswell Park’s commitment to leading with science and elevating the standard of care.”

Traditionally, radiation oncologists must take changes into consideration to avoid side effects caused by excess dose to normal tissue. This may lead to a decreased dose of radiation directly affecting the tumor. With adaptive radiation treatment, the Roswell Park team can deliver more effective radiation to the tumor, decrease the amount of radiation normal tissues and organs are exposed to, and reduce the risk for side effects. 

“I only have one kidney, so that’s the big issue,” says Bill Doughtery, a Roswell Park patient receiving radiation therapy for acute b-cell lymphoma and smoldering multiple myeloma, two separate forms of blood cancer. “They have to be very careful. With this new approach, my doctor was able to target just those areas, and it was very successful. This really was, in a way, a lifesaver for me — to get my life back to doing what I want to do, without any more damage to my kidney.”

This new treatment option has been made available partially by donations made to Roswell Park’s Alliance Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that manages all donations made to Roswell Park’s research, education and patient-care programs.  

“The funds used to supply this machine allow Roswell Park to really push the boundaries to treat patients who may have been more challenging to treat using conventional methods,” adds Dr. Farrugia. “And that’s really our whole goal: to be able to provide patients with excellent outcomes with the minimal amount of side effects we can allow.”

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From the world’s first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. The Roswell Park team of 4,000+ makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York State and beyond. Rated “Exceptional” by the National Cancer Institute, Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country and remains the only one in Upstate New York. To learn more about Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Roswell Park Care Network, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.