Indian scientists have developed a novel three-dimensional robotic motion phantom that is capable of reproducing human lung motion. This robotic motion has been developed by Ashish Dutta, Professor at IIT Kanpur, Professor K. J. Maria Das, and Professor from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow. It has been developed with support from Advanced Manufacturing Technologies programme of Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Government of India. This phantom for lung cancer treatment could make a mark-through progress in the arena considering its low cost.
The main problem being faced during focused radiation dose to the lung cancer tumor is the breathing motion. The motion exposes an area which is larger than the tumor and thus, it affects tissues surrounding the tumor as well. Focused radiation needs to be customized by simulating the lung movement so that the radiation therapy is effective in delivering its effectiveness. This effectiveness can be checked on a robotic phantom. Although there have been incremental developments in the arena of radiation therapy, but the quality assurance tools have not been developed accordingly.
This phantom can be programmed to produce various type of human lung motion while breathing. It emulates the human lung motion and can also check if the radiation is correctly focused on the moving target. The phantom is placed inside a CT scanner and it emulates human lung motion as it is irradiated during the therapy. It consistently obtains high-quality images of advanced 4D radiation therapy lung cancer treatment with minimum exposure of patients. This process helps in checking the effectiveness of radiation in focusing only on the tumor area.
The innovators behind this phantom are trying to commercialize the product and can be used in place of overseas models which are more expensive.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only. Please consult your healthcare professional if you face any medical issues.
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