EURAMET EMPIR 18HLT06 RaCHy Project: Radiotherapy coupled with Hyperthermia (Induced by HITU)

The main goal of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is to damage all cancer cells in a tumour in such a way as to stop their proliferation. Unfortunately, normal tissue toxicity can severely limit doses used, and thus it is useful to combine EBRT with other treatments. An interesting approach to improving local tumour control is to combine EBRT with hyperthermia (HT). The cell sensitisation induced by the heat is not completely understood, however evidence suggests that it impairs cellular DNA repair, thus rendering radiation damage more lethal. During hyperthermia treatments the temperature distribution generated is crucial. High Intensity Therapeutic Ultrasound (HITU) provides superior control of energy deposition, and thus can increase the tumour temperature to the target level homogenously. One of the main goals in the Radiotherapy coupled with Hyperthermia (RaCHy) project is therefore to improve the efficacy, safety and range of applicability of clinical HITU treatments by providing validated methods for ultrasonic field characterization, HITU system performance testing, quality assurance and patient exposure monitoring. The RaCHy project will address both the basic calibration and specification of equipment ( and in particular characterisation of the acoustic pressure and temperature distribution in water and in-vitro and in-vivo experiments).