MR-Linac project surges ahead for Ingham Institute

It’s been five years in the making, but every step from this day forward is “groundbreaking” for the team working on the Ingham Institute’s MR-Linac project at Liverpool Hospital.

It’s been five years in the making, so the black and white image was a huge milestone in the Ingham Institute MR-Linac project at Liverpool Hospital.

It is the first image beamed from the hybrid machine that connects an MRI to a linear accelerator — radiotherapy with imaging.

And the team always planned to use a kangaroo steak as the “target” for the first image.

The idea behind connecting the two machines is to improve accuracy and precision of radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients.

Associate Professor Gary Liney said every step forward from here was “groundbreaking”.

“There are only a handful of people with experience to fire the beam and nobody is running the beam parallel to the magnetic field,” he said.

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“And we’re seeing effects in the image that aren’t bad, but can be used constructively. There is noise in the image — it doesn’t affect the image, but you can see it in the background when the beam is turned on and off.”

Dr Liney said the team was surprised with how much work they had been able to do with the two systems connected.

“And we’re developing skills people don’t have around the world.

“People have worked separately in radiotherapy and MRI, but we’re developing clinicians with both those skills. It’s a good time to be working here. Everyone is enthusiastic.”

Having the MR-Linac machine allows the medical experts to see the tumour and organs while a patient is being treated.

Two weeks of radiation in under three minutes is revolutionising cancer treatment.

“If it shrinks, the patient moves or coughs, we can adjust the beams. It gives us better accuracy.

“It opens up the possibility of single fraction ­treatments. We can give ­patients higher doses on fewer occasions.

“And we can redesign treatments and be more confident in hitting the tumour each time.

“But the truth is, we don’t know where this machine will lead us, but it’ll keep us busy for decades.”

MR-LINAC

■ For five years, a team has been working on the Ingham Institute MR-Linac project at Liverpool Hospital

■ Machine connects an MRI with a linear accelerator

■ One of only three machines in the world

■ Allows them to see the tumour and organs while a patient is being treated

■ If they cough or move, the beams can be adjusted

■ The first image was “beamed” from the machine last Wednesday

■ A kangaroo steak was the target