Llum de sincrotró per tractar tumors cerebrals : dividir i vèncer

Glioma is one of the most frequent brain tumors in adults, but radiotherapy yields very poor results: tumours seem resistant while the surrounding tissue is very sensitive. That is why for years there has been investigations to find alternatives to conventional radiotherapy. One of these research lines studies fragmentation in a synchrotron of X- ray beams used in radiotherapy. Smaller, subdivided beams converge in the tumour but produce less damage to the tissues they have gone through. UAB researchers have compared this technique with conventional radiotherapy in rat gliomas, and discovered that the division of beams can more effectively attack the tumour while minimising damage to surrounding tissues.