Evaluating the anticancer benefit of FLASH RT in the veterinary setting

A paper* out in the journal Clinical Cancer Research reports the first results of rigorous long-term follow up (> 3 years) studies in larger vertebrate animal models subjected to FLASH-RT, thereby representing critical information relevant to clinical translation of this promising radiation modality.

Specifically, in a phase III randomized trial performed in cat patients, researchers compared the outcome of the Standard of Care (BiD) vs FLASH-RT at single dose for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum.

The impact of large volume irradiation after FLASH-RT was explored in mini-pig experiments.

Each of these long-term outcomes are important clinical benchmarks for assessing long-term toxicity profiles, and to date, similar studies have not been reported.

This research, led by Marie-Catherine Vozenin with (1st author) Carla Rohrer Bley of the Vetsuisse Faculty, was a collaborative study between the Division of radiation oncology, University of Zurich (C-R.B) and the Laboratory of radiation oncology of the Department of oncology UNIL CHUV. 

This project was supported by Swiss Cancer Research (Oncosuisse), Grant/Award Number: KFS-4438-02-2018 and the ISREC Foundation thanks to a donation from the Biltema Foundation.

*Dose and volume limiting late toxicity of FLASH radiotherapy in cats with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum and in mini-pigs.