editor@radiologiamedicajournal.com
Heng Ge¹, Xiang-Xiang Yang², Jia-Jun Zhang², Hui Luo³
1-Department of Oncology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
2-Department of Medical Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan Province, China
3- Department of Radiation Oncology, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450003, Henan Province, China
Ultra-high dose rate FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) has gained significant attention in the radiotherapy community in recent years. This technique delivers radiation at an exceptionally high dose rate—often thousands of times higher than that of conventional radiotherapy (CONV-RT)—within an extremely brief period.This novel irradiation tech- nique shows a protective effect on normal tissues, also known as the flash effect. At the same time, FLASH-RT is comparable to CONV-RT in terms of tumor- killing efficacy. As basic research dedicates to uncover the mechanisms by which FLASH-RT reduces radiation-induced normal tissue damage, clinical trials of FLASH-RT have been gradually conducted worldwide. This article systematically reviews the evidence of the feasibility and safety of FLASH-RT in clinical practice and offers insights into the future translation of this technology in clinic.
KEYWORDS: Ultra-high dose rate flash radiotherapy; Mechanism; Clinical translation; Ra- diation-induced damage to normal tissues; Prospects