The Victorian Government has funded a new magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR-Linac) at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre (ONJ Centre), Austin Health. The MR-Linac is the first in Victoria and will operate from 2021 as a statewide service. Treatment at Austin Health is further enhanced by the use of a dedicated 1.5T MRI ‘Simulator’ in the planning process. The Elekta Unity TM MR-Linac combines a 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to guide radiation therapy with a precision radiotherapy machine called a linear accelerator. MRI-guided radiation therapy is ideal for cancers that are difficult to treat with high dose radiation therapy due to their proximity to critical organs, anatomical changes and/or poor visibility. The use of MRI in place of standard x-ray based daily treatment guidance enhances visualisation to maximise dose to the tumour while minimising dose to nearby healthy tissue.
The MR-Linac can take MRI scans before and during radiation therapy to allow users to ‘see while they treat’, personalising therapy based on the patient’s anatomy of the day. The assessment of tumour response using functional MR imaging can be used to further individualise patient management. Clinical trials will play an important part in demonstrating the benefit of this potentially revolutionary technology.
As a statewide service, patient referrals are accepted from across Victoria for MRI-guided radiation therapy, even if they receive cancer treatment elsewhere. Not every tumour will benefit from the MR-Linac. For this reason, all patients considered for treatment on the MR-Linac will be discussed by a team of expert doctors in a Victorian statewide multidisciplinary meeting (MDM). Referrers are welcome to discuss their patients by attending the MR-Linac MDM. The MR-Linac team includes radiation oncologists, a clinical nurse consultant and radiation therapists, medical physicists and MRI radiographers.