‘Revolutionary’ cancer treatment using CERN tech unveiled

Lausanne, Switzerland, Nov 25 (EFE).- A new cancer treatment that will harness CERN research on very high-energy electrons to target deep lying tumors resistant to conventional therapies was presented Friday at a Swiss hospital with hopes that it could be rolled out by 2025.

The revolutionary FLASH radiotherapy treatment is the result of a tripartite agreement from the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which operates the Large Hadron Collider, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), where the technology was presented, and THERYQ.

Using technology developed by CERN, the new treatment will use very high energy electron beams to hit tumors lying up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) deep in the body all the while reducing costs and minimizing side effects, a statement said.

The CHUV will construct a specialized bunker to host the machine, which will be produced by THERYQ, part of French industrial consortium ALCEN.

The use of high energy electrons in cancer treatment has been the subject of scientific investigation for the last decade.

“Radiation therapy is one of the main forms of cancer treatment, along with chemotherapy, surgery and immunotherapy. Currently, one third of cancers are resistant to conventional radiation therapy,” the statement said.

“It is in this context that the head of the radiation oncology department at CHUV, Professor Jean Bourhis, and his team pioneered the method of FLASH radiotherapy, which has produced impressive results in pre-clinical animal studies.”EFE

abc/jt/ch