FLASH is a form of radiotherapy that is delivered ultra-rapidly at a very high dose/time ratio. FLASH is not used in clinical practice, but this type of radiotherapy is currently being developed and tested. The hope is to be able to apply more radiation but with less damage to normal tissue. This would be ideal for the state in the brain. Radiotherapy is one of the few treatments that work for glioblastoma, the most common form of primary brain cancer. However, radiation is limited by the risk of damage to surrounding brain tissue, which means that radiation can only be given up to a certain level, even though more would be needed to fight the cancer cells. In our research project, we will investigate whether we can radiate with FLASH at higher doses, without damaging normal brain tissue.
