Increased patient access to hadron centres for cancer therapy
Among the Universe's many particles, hadrons such as protons and carbon ions have been getting increasing attention f for the treatment of certain tumours. This form of radiotherapy works like standard X-rays, with lesser damage to healthy tissues. However, more research and clinical trials are necessary before attempting clinical application of this relatively new procedure. A large multidisciplinary European consortium of experts in nuclear physics, information technology and medicine initiated the project 'Union of light-ion centers in Europe' (ULICE). They aim to increase access to large facilities for facilitating hadron therapy (HT) research. In addition, project members seek to support the networking and joint research required to achieve further progress in this field. EU funding is being used to develop instruments and protocols required for patient trials and to increase transnational access. Clinical trials will follow a pre-defined programme, the structure of which has been formulated for phases I–III. There are currently few HT facilities in Europe and a major component of ULICE has been devoted to minimising costs to facilitate the expansion of treatment opportunities. Partners have developed software for recording clinical data, cost–benefit analyses of treatments and providing referring physicians the patients' treatment data from the facilities. The website hosts protocols from approved facilities that have been delivering HT. ULICE has supported increased patient access to HT facilities and enhanced the understanding of HT through data collection and analyses. Normally this would not be possible at many institutions due to prohibitively high costs and technical requirements. Scientists are making an important contribution to the advancement of HT that could improve patient outcomes in certain types of cancer and enhance the lives of thousands of EU citizens.
