Toward a Multi-modality Approach to Radiotherapy for Cancer Treatment in Uk

In the UK cancer is the leading cause of mortality in people under the age of 75 and accounts for one in four deaths overall. Cancer is currently the third largest NHS (National Health Service) disease programme. Radiotherapy is one of the main forms of cancer treatment, with an overall cure rate of 40 %. In this paper we review the different types of radiotherapy treatments used and we summarise their current status. Particular emphasis will be placed on a new approach to radiotherapy: the multi-modality approach. We will explain how to develop this multi-modality approach and what will be the benefits to the patients. We will discuss the technological challenges faced in the development of such a multi-modality approach to radiotherapy and the advances needed in the fields of dosimetry and quantitative imaging. We will present two examples of R&D projects for future technologies: in-vivo dosimetry and TOF PET imaging.