When it comes to treating cancer with radiation therapy, precision matters. Tumors can move and change, even during a single treatment session, while nearby healthy organs and tissue need to be protected as much as possible.
An advanced technology called the MR-Linac, or Magnetic Resonance Linear Accelerator, is helping our radiation oncology team address that challenge by allowing them to see a tumor in real time while delivering treatment.
RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, New Jersey’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, offer MR-Linac technology at the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center in New Brunswick and the Melchiorre Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. The health system is home to two of New Jersey’s three MR-Linac systems and is among a select group worldwide offering this advanced technology.
Sonam Sharma, MD, a radiation oncologist at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center shares some information about the MR-Linac below.
What Is an MR-Linac?
An MR-Linac combines two important technologies in one system: high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a linear accelerator, a machine used to deliver radiation therapy.
Traditional radiation therapy uses imaging to help physicians carefully plan and guide treatment. The MR-Linac takes image guidance a step further by providing continuous, high-quality images of the tumor and surrounding healthy tissue during treatment.
This means the radiation oncology team can see what is happening inside the body as treatment is being delivered.
Why Does Real-Time Imaging Matter?
The human body isn’t completely still. Normal processes such as breathing and digestion can cause organs, and tumors, to shift. A tumor may also change in size, shape or position over the course of treatment.
With the MR-Linac, the care team can account for these changes and adapt a patient’s radiation treatment accordingly. Instead of relying solely on images taken before treatment, physicians can visualize the tumor and surrounding organs during each session and adjust when needed.
This approach, known as adaptive radiation therapy, allows treatment to be personalized based on a patient’s anatomy at the time radiation is delivered.
What Are the Benefits of MR-Linac Treatment?
For appropriate patients, MR-Linac technology can offer several potential benefits:
- Greater precision: Real-time MRI imaging helps the care team accurately target the tumor.
- Protection of healthy tissue: Physicians can better visualize nearby organs and healthy tissue, helping minimize unnecessary radiation exposure.
- Personalized treatment: The radiation plan can be adapted as the tumor or surrounding anatomy changes.
- Potentially fewer treatment sessions: For some patients, the technology may allow treatment to be delivered over a shorter overall course.
- Outpatient treatment: MR-Linac treatment does not require surgery or a hospital stay, and there is no associated recovery or downtime from a procedure.
The goal is not simply to deliver radiation, but to deliver it as precisely as possible while protecting the healthy parts of the body surrounding the cancer.
What Types of Cancer Can Be Treated With an MR-Linac?
The MR-Linac may be used to treat several types of cancer, particularly tumors in areas where organs can move or where surrounding healthy tissue makes precise treatment especially important.
MR-Linac treatment is not necessary or appropriate for every patient. A radiation oncologist considers factors including the type, size and location of the cancer, as well as a patient’s overall treatment plan, to determine the most appropriate radiation therapy approach.
What Can Patients Expect?
Before treatment begins, a multidisciplinary radiation oncology team develops an individualized plan based on the patient’s cancer and specific needs. RWJBarnabas Health radiation oncology teams include physicians, nurses, radiation therapists, physicists and dosimetrists who work together to customize treatment and support patient safety and comfort.
During an MR-Linac treatment session, MRI technology allows the team to visualize the tumor and nearby organs. If the patient’s anatomy has changed, the treatment plan can be adjusted before radiation is delivered. Imaging continues to help guide treatment, so radiation remains focused on its intended target.
Because each treatment is individualized, the length and number of sessions can vary from patient to patient.
Bringing Advanced Cancer Care Closer to Home
For patients in New Jersey, access to advanced technology can also mean receiving cancer care closer to family, friends and the support systems that matter throughout treatment.
The MR-Linac at the Melchiorre Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston is part of a comprehensive approach to cancer care offered by RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute. The new 137,000-square-foot outpatient cancer center serves as a northern destination for the organizations’ integrated oncology services, bringing medical, surgical and radiation oncology services together with advanced imaging, clinical research and supportive care.
Together, RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute are expanding access to advanced radiation therapies such as MR-Linac while providing patients with multidisciplinary, personalized cancer care close to home.
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To learn more about cancer care at RWJBarnabas Health visit rwjbh.org/silencecancer.