Skip to content
left end
left end
right end

Dose Painting Project (2015-2018)

 

The Bristol Dose Painting Study

   Dose Painting 1
   Dose Painting 2
   VMAT device and software used to calculate the dose to the patient so the tumour gets the highest dose whilst limiting the dose to the surrounding tissues
   Dose Painting 3
   This figure shows the dose distribution around the tumours and surrounding tissue.

This study is a collaboration between Medical Physics and Oncology staff at UHBW (University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust) and NBT (North Bristol NHS Trust), and CRIC Bristol, with support from Above & Beyond.

This study is to determine if a technique known as dose painting is feasible. Dose painting involves boosting the dose of radiation to tumours presenting as isolated nodules without increasing the dose to the surrounding healthy tissues, focusing on the prostate. The study focusses on the prostate because prostate tumours tend to be close to healthy tissues such as the bladder, rectum and urethra, and if you increase the dose to the whole prostate this leads to higher rates of toxicity in the normal tissues, so if dose painting is a feasible technique we could reduce reoccurrence rate without decreasing quality of life.

20 patients participated in this study, and MRI scans were obtained for 19 of them. Of these, 14 had these isolated nodules and 6 of those were able to receive the elevated dose, whilst in 6 of the 8 remaining they received a limited elevated dose due to their position close to the urethra. In the other 2 patients there were registration issues due to changes in their internal anatomy.

This study has been very helpful in identifying the issues involved in implementing this technique and current results are positive regarding the feasibility of using dose painting in Bristol. In the future the plan is to enter a clinical trial involving dose painting, as currently this study has successfully delivered an elevated dose to the tumour with no difference in toxicity and quality of life between standard treatment and using dose painting.

For more information on the study click here.