New MRI-radiation hybrid machine in Alberta expected to improve cancer treatment by at least 20 per cent
New MRI-radiation hybrid machine in Alberta expected to improve cancer treatment by at least 20 per cent
Technology in Alberta that is expected to allow doctors to more accurately and effectively treat cancerous tumours with radiation enters clinical trials next week.
This next step, after 15 years of work, was celebrated in Edmonton on Friday as a "game changer" and "true medical breakthrough."
The LMR, or Linac-MR machine, simultaneously delivers radiotherapy and high-resolution imaging – something researchers say was previously considered impossible because the magnetic field and x-rays of the two machines interfere with each other if placed within 10 metres.
But a tumour's position can shift with a patient's movement, as they go between machines, or even by breathing. So doctors need to use radiation more conservatively to avoid hitting healthy tissue or organs near a tumour, which in turn means lower radiation doses and a higher number of treatment sessions.
"Say I know exactly where the tumour is without killing healthy tissue: We can calculate the cure rates will improve by 20 to 40 per cent for all solid tumours," creator Dr. Gino Fallone told reporters.
The medical physicist at the University of Alberta has been working on the idea with researchers from Edmonton's Cross Cancer Institute and Alberta Health Services since 2008.
Dr. Nawaid Usmani, who will lead the clinical study, also expects the machine will be able to treat tumours that are difficult to access – like prostate, liver, and pancreatic cancers.
"Over the course of your career, it's very rare to be involved in a true innovation, something that revolutionalizes how treatment is administered and is able to offer new treatments to patients," he commented during the news conference at the Cross Cancer Institute.
"I'm very fortunate to have been involved in this innovation as I've been able to witness right before my eyes this concept become a reality."
'VERY OPTIMISTIC'
Usmani's team is hoping to include 100 patients in the LMR's first year-long trial. Five more phases, each with roughly 100 more participants, will follow.
Marvin Bahry, an 84-year-old prostate cancer patient, will be the first-ever clinical trial participant.
Bahry first had prostate cancer around 12 years ago and told CTV News he has "high hopes" to beat it again.
"I'm very optimistic that all of his research and the hard work of Dr. Usmani and other doctors and nurses and so on, will benefit not only me but all the other people who come here," he said.
"Any good that comes out of it from me will benefit others and that's my little contribution to others in this world…I see nothing but good coming out of all of this."
Jordan Turko, a Cross Cancer Institute fundraiser and cancer survivor, echoed Bahry's thoughts: "When I think about innovations like this, it buys folks like me more time."
In April 2022, at 30 years old, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer his doctor believes developed over a period of just four months. Nine months of targeted radiation and pill therapy later, he says his cancer has "fully retreated."
"For the average person, as time goes on, you get less of it. It goes on, you get a little older. But for cancer patients, it's ironic that within innovations like this, when we get a little more time," Turko said of the LMR.
"So things like this are a really big deal because they buy a little more time. Which hopefully means that another great innovator will buy more time and give us more moments in our life."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
As Joe Biden makes his first trip to Canada as president of the United States, CTVNews.ca is offering live coverage of the leader's visit. Follow our live blog on CTVNews.ca and the CTV News app for the latest updates.
Defence and security, as well as migration and environmental protections, emerged as priorities following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden in Ottawa Friday.
Notable people will be in attendance at Friday’s gala dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, including former prime ministers and celebrities.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
The United States' first lady was given a sweeping introduction to Canadian sports culture in Ottawa today as Sophie Gregoire Trudeau took Jill Biden to the curling rink.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
Calgary police have released photos of a man and vehicle believed to be involved in a case of road rage last month that left the victim with substantial injuries.
The Calgary Police Service confirms charges have been laid against a driver in connection with Thursday's crash of a semi-truck into the 32nd Avenue N.E. overpass along Deerfoot Trail.
A husband and wife currently travelling from British Columbia to New Brunswick are hoping Regina police will be able to track down a box containing the ashes of a loved one after it was allegedly stolen from their vehicle.
Housing advocates in Nova Scotia say the provincial budget neglects people struggling with affordability and those on the edge of experiencing homelessness.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
Quebec Education Minster Bernard Drainville says he is preparing a strategy to fight violence in schools after Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy reported a rise in violent incidents across Quebec.
Kanata-Carleton Progressive Conservative MPP Merrilee Fullerton announced on Twitter Friday afternoon that she had tendered her resignation to Premier Doug Ford.
An uncommon phenomenon lit up the skies across southern Ontario on Thursday night, including in Waterloo region where the aurora borealis – also known as the northern lights - shone bright enough to see with the naked eye.
It might be a sign of change in the pandemic that has gripped the world for three years, as the regional COVID-19 cold and flu care clinic run by Grand River Hospital is closing its doors.
A Manitoba First Nation is enacting measures to combat an ongoing drug and addiction crisis while also calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address drug-related deaths within northern remote Indigenous communities.
Manitoba’s labour force is growing at a rate to supply enough workers for available positions into 2026, according to the province’s labour market outlook.
The mother of a Victoria child who disappeared without a trace 32 years ago Friday says she believes her son is still alive. Michael Dunahee disappeared around 12:30 p.m. on March 24, 1991. The four-year-old boy was last seen on the playground at Blanshard School, his family a short distance away.
