Tags:
- Cancer
- Innovation
New radiation machine targets cancer with pinpoint accuracy — even as the tumour moves during treatment
Dr. Miller MacPherson accepts delivery of the MR-Linac radiation therapy system.
A new radiation therapy system will empower The Ottawa Hospital’s radiation oncology team to target cancer with unprecedented accuracy — even as the tumour moves inside the patient’s body during their treatment session.
On July 13, our Cancer Centre accepted delivery of the MR-Linac, the world’s first machine to combine diagnostic-quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a radiation machine called a linear accelerator (linac). The MRI finds the tumour, and the linear accelerator fires a radiation beam to shrink it.
“It’s really an engineering marvel to bring these two technologies together,” says Dr. Miller MacPherson, Head of Medical Physics at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.
Hitting a moving target
Radiation therapy is a powerful way to treat a variety of cancers — including prostate, lung and breast cancer — but it can also damage healthy tissue. That’s why medical radiation technologists must be careful to only treat the tumour and not the surrounding area.
The problem is that tumours tend not to stay in one place. Even the simple act of breathing in and out is a big driver of internal movement and can cause a tumour to shift within a patient’s body in the middle of a treatment session.
But the MR-Linac automatically tracks the tumour in real time while the radiation beam is on, preventing harm to healthy tissue.
“We can deliver a radiation treatment that’s exactly personalized for the patient on that day,” says Dr. MacPherson. “We will be able to treat more accurately, and we may be able to treat areas of the body that we couldn’t treat with radiation before because it was just too risky, given the healthy tissue near the tumour.”
An early adopter
Our Cancer Centre is now home to the third MR-Linac system in the province, following two centres in Toronto, making us one of the first adopters in the country. This engineering marvel has come to the nation’s capital thanks to the generous support of The Ottawa Hospital, Cancer Care Ontario, community donors and industry vendor Elekta, which supplied the MR-Linac.
Comment on this post
Support patient care and research at
The Ottawa Hospital
You might also like…
Looking to get screened for cancer but don’t have a family doctor? Make an appointment with our “Superscreener”
Regular cancer screening can help save lives. For people living in Eastern Ontario who do not have a primary care provider, the Champlain Screening Outreach Program offers screening services for breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer. Find out how to book your appointment with Nurse Practitioner Sarah Junkin-Hepworth, our “Superscreener.”
Cancer, Population Health, Screening
New gender-affirming surgery clinic now accepting patients
The Ottawa Hospital’s new gender-affirming surgery clinic is truly one of a kind. Launched in September 2023, it’s the only clinic in Ontario to offer trans and non-binary patients facial, top and bottom procedures. Plastic Surgeon Dr. Nicholas Cormier and his team are happy to announce that they are now accepting patient referrals from physicians.
Compassion, Innovation, Population Health
Patient gifts a piece of home to Indigenous Cancer Program
Inuit patients can now see and hold a piece of their traditional territory in the Windòcàge Room at the General Campus, thanks to an interactive gift donated to The Ottawa Hospital by a cancer patient.
Cancer, Indigenous Health, Patient Experience
Mental health professionals and paramedics team up to help people in crisis
Seven days a week, a mental health professional from The Ottawa Hospital hits the road with a paramedic from the Ottawa Paramedic Service. Together, they respond to 911 calls for mental health emergencies across the city. Social worker Cindy Gill and paramedic Scott Farrell share how the Mental Wellbeing Response Team provides quality care for patients out in the community.
Innovation, Mental Health, Working Together
A team from The Ottawa Hospital helps organize first-ever oncology conference in the North
When it comes to cancer treatment, there’s no place like home. This spring, a team from The Ottawa Hospital helped organize Nunavut’s first-ever oncology conference to figure out how to bring oncology care closer to home for patients.
Cancer, Indigenous Health
“Stewards of hormones”: Our Gender Diversity Specialty Clinic guides medically complex patients on their affirmation journey
Often, trans and non-binary patients struggle to find health-care providers to support them on their affirmation journey. It is even more difficult for patients with complex medical needs. That’s why we launched our Gender Diversity Specialty Clinic, one of the first of its kind in Canada.
Compassion, Innovation, Population Health