New partnership enables access to state-of-the-art radiotherapy machine in Oxford

The first NHS patient has now received treatment on the cutting-edge ViewRay MRIdian technology, thanks to a new partnership between the University of Oxford, Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust and GenesisCare.

The partners, with the support of the John Black Charitable Foundation, have collaborated to establish a ten-year programme of clinical treatment for NHS patients, with further research into improving cancer treatment using the Viewray MRIdian.

Due to the natural, unavoidable movement of soft tissue inside the body, normal tissue around the cancer can be exposed to radiotherapy treatment, particularly when targeting soft-tissue tumours deep within the body. It can be challenging to visualise these organs during radiotherapy with routine radiotherapy delivery.

The ViewRay MRIdian machine is the only one of its kind in the UK, with only 41 machines worldwide. It allows doctors to see the normal soft tissue and the tumour in real time by combining MRI scanning with targeted radiotherapy. Incorporating MRI scans will allow doctors to then tailor doses in real time to the specific internal anatomy of the patient on the day of treatment.

MRIdian technology also minimises the damage to surrounding healthy tissues by switching off when tumour tissue moves outside of the targeted beam. This could mean less side effects for patients and increased dosage of treatment delivered directly to the tumour.

The University of Oxford, OUH and GenesisCare will also partner in research collaborations to develop real-world evidence which will inform future utilisation of the MRIdian technology in hard-to-reach tumours, such as pancreatic cancers. The research partnership will assess the benefits of the MRIdian technology in terms of improved cancer outcomes and reduced toxicity.

Elizabeth Rapple, from South Oxfordshire, is the first patient to use the machine to treat her renal cancer, as part of the new partnership. She said, ‘I feel very fortunate to be able to access this machine as part of a new Oxford-wide partnership. Any operation to remove my tumour would have been highly invasive, so it’s lucky that my cancer was suitable for MRIdian radiotherapy. I am so grateful that this unique machine has been made accessible through the NHS, and that I can be the first of many to benefit from this partnership going forward.’

Project leader Professor Tim Maughan, from the University of Oxford, said, ‘Treating patients on the MRIdian is like a surgeon putting on their spectacles for an operation – for the first time we can see exactly what the cancer is doing during treatment and adapt to change accordingly. This accuracy allows us to reduce side effects and we hope to improve cancer outcomes in hard-to-treat cancers.’

Dr James Good, Clinical Oncologist at GenesisCare, said, ‘The MRIdian machine is at the cutting-edge of what is possible in radiotherapy technology. The ability to visualise the tumour more accurately, to follow it while it’s being treated and to adapt the plan every day means we can deliver the best possible outcomes.

‘This collaboration with the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals will be truly beneficial for cancer patients in the UK. Not only will it provide patients who otherwise would have limited, or sadly, no options with a really viable treatment option, but we can also help demonstrate the effectiveness of this treatment, with the ambition to make it available for all NHS patients in the future.’

Carol Scott, Lead Therapeutic Radiographer & Deputy Clinical Director at Oxford University Hospitals, said, ‘OUH are excited to be part of this collaboration offering NHS patients the opportunity to take part in these clinical trials. The use of daily advanced imaging that clearly shows us the tumour and normal soft tissue around it will enable us to take the next step in making our treatments even more personalised and effective.’