Oncology highlights of the UZ Gent annual report
UZ has published its annual report. We have taken over the oncology-related items below.
Ethos: precise radiation therapy through daily adjustments
The Radiation Oncology Department at UZ Gent uses a new radiation therapy machine called Ethos. It features an advanced CT scanner that provides us with an even more precise daily image of the patient’s anatomy and the tumor’s location. In addition, based on the exact location of organs, the radiation dose can be adjusted daily, ensuring that the machine always delivers the most accurate radiation.
Radiation oncologist Prof. Dr. Valérie Fonteyne: “The Ethos provides very precise imaging and allows us to adjust the radiation dose daily to the correct anatomy. This enables us to deliver radiation even more precisely and protect the surrounding organs even better. Many organs can change shape every day. That is, of course, important for our planning and the dose administered. Thanks to online adaptive radiotherapy, for example, we can treat bladder tumors with much greater precision.”
Read more (in Dutch) on the UZ Gent website.
MakeSense: screening for head and neck cancers
In September, UZ Gent organized a screening afternoon for head and neck tumors as part of the MakeSense campaign. Participants were given a questionnaire and underwent a comprehensive ear, nose, and throat examination. Of the approximately 50 participants screened, 10 were found to have suspicious abnormalities.
Medical oncologist Dr. Michael Saerens: “The symptoms of head and neck cancer—a painful or tender tongue, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, or one-sided nasal congestion—often seem quite harmless at first, but the later we detect the cancer, the lower the chances of recovery.” Risk factors for tumors in the upper respiratory tract include smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. The human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a role in tumors of the pharynx. ‘There isn’t a specific screening test for this yet—though there is one for cervical cancer, which is also caused by HPV. Our research group is working on such a test, and the initial results are promising.’
The Make Sense campaign is a European awareness campaign on head and neck cancer, launched by the European Head and Neck Society (EHNS). It is carried out in collaboration with the Flemish Working Group on Head and Neck Tumors.
Read more (in Dutch) on the UZ Gent website.
Market registration of U(Z)Gent radiopharmaceutical
In 2021, the Department of Nuclear Medicine at UZ Gent and the Radiopharmacy Laboratory at Ghent University developed the radiopharmaceutical [18F]PSMA-11. This enables a highly sensitive PET scan to detect metastatic prostate cancer. A faster diagnosis has a huge impact on quality of life and the treatment pathway.
Biotech company Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited now intends to apply for market authorization for the radiopharmaceutical. The development of [18F]PSMA-11 was sponsored by the FWO, with the mandate to subsequently make the radiopharmaceutical as widely available as possible in Flanders. It was the first time a Belgian hospital had developed a radiopharmaceutical internally, from the lab to the patient via clinical trials. Among other things, a suitable production process was developed that meets the logistical requirements of every market, and a patent application is currently pending. After the drug was distributed to local hospitals for several years, an industrial collaboration is now in the works. This collaboration aims to make the radiopharmaceutical available worldwide.