(English / Physics World)

FLASH radiotherapy, in which radiation is delivered at ultrahigh dose rates (40 Gy/s or above), offers promise to spare healthy tissue while still effectively killing cancer cells. This so-called FLASH effect has been demonstrated extensively in preclinical studies over the past few years, with the first patient treatment taking place in 2019 and results from a first in-human trial reported last year.

At the recent ESTRO 2023 congress in Vienna, FLASH featured heavily among the scientific presentations. And the technique was also making an impact at the trade show. “At ESTRO, we noticed that interest in FLASH is really high,” said Valeria Preda from Italian radiotherapy specialist SIT. “Ninety percent of the people who have visited us are more interested in FLASH.”