This Convergence-consortium combines socio-economic, technical, and bio-medical scientists to realize the Radiation Therapy Center 2030 for Personalized Self-Steering Radiotherapy. ‘A convergence approach is crucial to achieve genuine breakthroughs in cancer treatment with radiation.’

More than fifty per cent of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy, often combined with other therapies. Cancer survivors are increasing. And with that, the impact of long-term side effects of radiotherapy on patients and society. While innovations have decreased side effects and new combination therapies have improved outcomes, implementation and further development of radiotherapy innovations are still hampered by challenges in accessibility, capacity planning and financing.

Great promise lies in cross-disciplinary, highly personalized cancer treatment. However, considering patient heterogeneity, optimally using the growing data and combination-treatment options for each patient, and adapting radiotherapy during each session, proves to be extremely challenging.

2030 

The Radiation Therapy Center 2030 combines a research program with a ‘Living Lab’ for fast-track innovation, value optimization, and clinical validation. A data repository will provide access to real-life clinical and genetic data from patients treated with photon or proton radiotherapy. The researchers will develop image guidance solutions to improve precision and AI-driven solutions for fast radiation-dose adaptation (self-steering), multi-criteria decision support and biomarker assays. 

Convergence approach 

‘A convergence approach is crucial to achieve genuine breakthroughs in cancer treatment with radiation.’ Says Collaboration lead Remi Nout. The Collaboration will set up a first framework, which allows a competitive position for future research that includes clinical intervention studies demonstrating the impact of further personalization.