The First Affiliated Hospital successfully implemented the first case of lattice radiotherapy. The tumor of a 13-year-old patient with recurrent parotid gland cancer significantly "collapsed"
Recently, the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy of the First Affiliated Hospital successfully performed the hospital's first Lattice Radiation Therapy (LRT) treatment on a 13-year-old patient with recurrent parotid gland cancer, marking a new breakthrough in the field of precision tumor radiotherapy by the First Affiliated Hospital.
13-year-old boy's parotid gland cancer recurs and faces treatment dilemma
Zhu, a 13-year-old boy, was diagnosed with right parotid gland cancer 2 years ago and received combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Recent re-examination showed that the tumor had recurred, and the lesions were located in the skull and were larger in size. As a minor patient, long-term and multiple cycles of treatment have caused physical and mental exhaustion for him and his family.
The patient's past treatment history showed that he had received 28 routine radiotherapy sessions at a young age, and his family had concerns about long-term hospitalization due to the need for medical treatment out of town. According to the examination data, the patient's tumor is in a special location and is large in size. Traditional radiotherapy has challenges such as long cycle time and high risk of normal tissue damage, and there is an urgent need for personalized and innovative treatment plans.
Multidisciplinary collaboration to determine lattice radiotherapy plan
After understanding the patient's actual needs, Associate Professor Li Hongwei of the Department of Radiotherapy led a team that collaborated with multidisciplinary experts in the hospital to finally select lattice radiotherapy as a treatment strategy through extensive literature review and multiple online and offline consultations.
This program uses three-dimensional dose control to build a gradient distribution pattern of "high-dose apex - low-dose periphery" within the tumor: the high-dose area accurately kills the tumor core, while the low-dose area protects surrounding normal tissue and preserves tumor blood vessels, promoting the homing and activation of immune cells, forming a "ablation-immune activation" synergistic effect.
Li Hongwei's team strictly controls key links such as positioning, target area delineation, dose division, and plan evaluation during the entire treatment process, and simultaneously implements nutritional support, pain management, and psychological intervention to provide patients with a diagnosis and treatment plan that integrates treatment and care.
Schematic diagram of lattice radiotherapy target area
The patient's tumor volume was significantly reduced after 5 rounds of lattice radiotherapy
After five rounds of lattice radiotherapy, the patient's re-examination results showed that the tumor volume was significantly reduced, a calcification zone formed at the edge, and a necrotic and liquefied area appeared in the central area. At present, the patient only has slight limitation of mouth opening occasionally, and his quality of life has been greatly improved.
Comparison of the efficacy of lattice radiotherapy: A. Before lattice radiotherapy B. After lattice radiotherapy The red color is the tumor area.
For patients with huge tumors or recurrent tumors, conventional radiotherapy has disadvantages such as high number of radiations, long hospitalization time, and long time for efficacy evaluation.
Compared with traditional radiotherapy, lattice radiotherapy, as a representative of spatially fractionated radiotherapy, shows three core advantages: precise dose carving reduces normal tissue damage, reduces the total number of treatments by more than 80%, and enhances long-term efficacy through immune activation mechanisms. This technology is particularly suitable for tumors that are huge, relapsed or refractory after previous radiotherapy.
The successful treatment practice of this case has verified the safety and effectiveness of lattice radiotherapy in the treatment of children's head and neck tumors, providing a precise and economical new option for patients with recurrent tumors.
While providing precise treatment, Li Hongwei's treatment team also focuses on patient psychological support and family care throughout the process, helping patients and their families rebuild their confidence through health education and emotional companionship. "In the future, the team will continue to deepen multidisciplinary collaboration, promote the application of lattice radiotherapy in other tumor types, and explore joint application models with immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and strive to provide the best personalized and precise treatment plan for tumor patients." Li Hongwei said.
(Zhang Qinghuang/review Meng Bi/text, pictures)