Anticipating the side effects of new radiotherapy techniques

Cancer mortality is steadily falling in France, thanks to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment. Today, some 200,000 patients are treated each year with radiotherapy, one of the essential tools for curing this disease. But the risks of sequelae induced by this treatment, particularly with the most recent techniques and practices, remain poorly understood. With the number of cures on the rise, reducing these risks is becoming an increasingly important public health issue. To understand and anticipate these side effects, IRSN has developed a preclinical research program on mice. In just a few years, radiotherapy technologies have made enormous strides: they target tumors more precisely. But what are the long-term effects of these new irradiation techniques on healthy tissue? New studies in stereotactic radiotherapy, one of the most promising tools for treating lung cancer in particular, have shed some light on the appearance of treatment-induced lesions.