MR-LINAC upgrade in Dresden sets new standards for radiation therapy: more precise, gentle, and safe

Personalized radiation therapy at the Dresden University Medical Campus has reached a new milestone. Since June 2022, the state-of-the-art MR-LINAC has combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiation therapy in a single device. Now, it has been upgraded with new gating functionality. This allows tumors to be irradiated with even greater precision in real time – a quantum leap for the gentle and highly precise treatment of cancer patients. Stefanie Beyer was among the first patients to benefit from this advanced treatment technology.

Since the Elekta Unity MR-LINAC went into operation in June 2022, over 200 patients have been treated with the magnetic resonance linear accelerator at the Dresden University Medical Campus. The newly commissioned gating functionality enables precise tracking of even the smallest tumor movement, such as those caused by breathing or bowel movements.

“For our patients, this means improved safety, fewer side effects, and a higher quality of life, since the radiation targets the tumor with greater precision, sparing more healthy tissue,” explains Prof. Esther Troost, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology at the Dresden University Hospital and Dean of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden.

Forty-year-old Stefanie Beyer has been treated with MR-LINAC for stromal sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Despite the rapid surgical removal of the tumor and chemotherapy after her diagnosis at the end of 2023, close follow-up examinations revealed that the cancer had metastasized to her head, lunge and adrenal gland. Cranial radiation therapy could be performed with a standard linear accelerator at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology, since the brain metastases have a fixed location. The MR-LINAC was used for radiation therapy to the adrenal gland.

"The MR-LINAC is particularly useful for very complex and moving target volumes. With real-time imaging, tumors in soft tissue that change position due to factors like breathing can be tracked precisely and the beam can be stopped if necessary. This allows us to irradiate tumors more accurately, increase the dose per radiation session, and reduce the total number of sessions," says Dr. Annika Lattermann, a radiation therapy specialist at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiation Therapy.

In Stefanie Beyer's case, the goal was to reach the metastasis in the adrenal gland while sparing the numerous surrounding organs, such as the small intestine, colon, stomach, kidney and lungs, which are also exposed to radiation. “I tolerated the treatment very well. I had no side effects apart from fatigue and weakness,” she says. Her next follow-up appointment is scheduled for September 11. “I am very grateful to the Dresden University Hospital for the comprehensive care I received. I felt well looked after from the very beginning. Each individual diagnosis received a specific treatment method. Both chemotherapy and radiation therapy worked very well,” she says.

Stefanie Beyer is receiving treatment at the Sarcoma Center Dresden, which is part of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden. Since 2007, it has been funded by the German Cancer Aid as an Oncology Excellence Center. Sarcomas are malignant tumors of soft tissue and bone that require highly specialized diagnostics and therapies in order to treat patients successfully. Due to the rarity of these tumors, treatment at specialized interdisciplinary centers is particularly important.   

“Ms. Beyer's treatment demonstrates the significant impact that excellent research, advanced technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration have on the best possible patient care. Here in Dresden, we have established an outstanding expertise center for cancer treatment in recent years,” explains Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Medical Director of the University Hospital.

The MR-LINAC

The MR-LINAC is primarily used to treat mobile soft tissue tumors in organs such as the lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, adrenal glands, prostate, and uterus. It can also treat non-oncological diseases such as certain heart conditions. In Dresden, the device was tested for the first time in March 2023.

The Free State of Saxony supported the investment in this large-scale equipment with nearly nine million euros in funding. Research projects related to the MR-LINAC are also funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 

As of 2022, Dresden’s MR-LINAC was the fifth such device in Germany alongside those in Heidelberg, Tübingen, Munich, and Trier. Tübingen and Trier use the same model. The current upgrade is gradually being introduced at all locations.

Contact:
Anne-Stephanie Vetter
Staff Unit Public Relations of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
at TUD Dresden University of Technology
National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) Dresden
+49 (0) 351 458 17903

Academic contact:
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. Esther Troost
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden
Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology
Head of the Department of Image-Guided Radiation Therapy
Institute for Radiation Oncology – OncoRay
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
+49 (0) 351 458 3352 
 

Dr. med. Annika Lattermann
Clinic and Polyclinic for Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden