Half of all cancer patients will need radiotherapy for a cure, to improve their chance of survival, or to relieve  symptoms.

Radiotherapy treatment uses a Linear Accelerator to kill or damage tumours and stop them from growing. Still images of the patient and their cancerous tumour are taken prior to treatment, are used to help plan and guide the direction of the radiation beam. Unfortunately, this radiation process can also damage normal tissues that are subjected to the radiation beam during treatment.

An MRI scanner can display real time images of internal organs and tissues.

The MRI-Linac combines of these two technologies, a Linear Accelerator and an MRI scanner.

By combining these two devices, the MRI-Linac can monitor the movement of tumor locations caused by breathing, swallowing, and other normal body movements during treatment. Tumours can be treated with greater accuracy, reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissues in the body.

The new machine will also be able to pinpoint parts within the tumour that are most active and aggressive, so a higher dose of radiation can be delivered to those areas.

The MRI-Linac will set a new benchmark for cancer treatment, with the potential to dramatically reduce side effects and improve cancer treatment outcomes.

Watch a one-minute video animation that shows how the Australian MRI-Linac at the Ingham Institute works.