Radiotherapy

Up to 30% of radiotherapy patients experience side effects, requiring extra treatments and costs sometimes for life.

DOSEmappers™ deliver ultra-precise dose measurements, empowering clinicians to implement adaptive radiotherapy with greater accuracy. By personalising treatment plans and minimising side effects, TRUEinvivo® enhances patient care, improves quality of life, and advances the future of radiotherapy.

DOSEmapper™ is a unique high-performance thermoluminescent detector (TLD) array consisting of 100+ small (0.95 – 1.6 mm) micro silica beads arranged on a thread for use in a standard catheter and inserted into a natural orifice next to the tumour. The inserted beads absorb the received radiation as stored energy over 100 points across and around the tumour. This applies to 70% of cancer occurrences.

After the radiotherapy session (usually the first fraction), the dose levels and spread will be measured by our fully automated high-performance TLD reader. The results will be ready, typically, after 20 minutes and sent to a local computer connected by USB. The measurements are a unique “radiation ruler” or profile of the actual radiation doses received along or across the tumour area and beyond at a resolution of ±1 mm.

The clinical team can see the beads, their sequence and positioning on the patient imaging system and can compare the measurements provided with those expected with the patient treatment plan. The team can decide if adjustments need to be made for the next session.

Radiotherapy clinical teams carefully calculate and pre-test radiation treatment for each cancer patient.

For external beam therapy, the calculated radiation beams are directed at the tumour from the best and safest angles. Great care is taken to minimise hitting the surrounding healthy tissue and especially the patient’s critical organs. But, despite all the care, between 10% and 25% of radiotherapy patients worldwide suffer serious side effects or treatment failure.

One problem is how to directly measure the actual radiation dose delivered into the patient’s body during radiotherapy. And that includes in brachytherapy when radiation sources are inserted into the patient. Today no one can see what the radiation hits or if it hits solely according to the specified patient treatment plan. No one knows the effects until the patient reports problems some weeks later.

TRUEinvivo® micro silica bead array detectors are easily inserted via a catheter into a suitable natural orifice and measure the dose and spread of the radiation received at the site of the tumour. The clinical team can use this “radiation ruler” to check for accuracy against the plan immediately after the first patient session and, if necessary, adjust for the next dose. This test and correction for accuracy gives the clinical team real confidence that the correct dose has been given and in the correct places. More confident can lead to fewer sessions.

The patient and clinicians still wait a few weeks to see if the cancer is cured but the wait is with the confident knowledge that the treatment was really accurate, and that side effects and harm have been minimised.

Filmed with the medical physics team at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Clinicians can save 7,000 patients from harm annually just in the UK

TRUEinvivo’s micro silica bead TLD arrays give patients increased confidence about their treatment and their expected outcomes.

Radiotherapy is a wonderful treatment for cancer for most patients but for some, there are unexpected or possibly even seriously harmful side effects. One problem is that no one can see or measure the radiation inside the body in order to check the dose.

Using micro silica bead TLD arrays the delivered dose can be measured directly at the tumour and any inaccuracy can be corrected in the next session. The patient and clinicians still have to wait a few weeks to see if the cancer is cured but they can be much more confident that the planned dose was delivered accurately. The aim is to reduce harm to patients and save them from remedial or repeated medical treatment.

This technology is currently being prepared for trials in a number of hospitals. Please get in touch with us if you would like to learn more about how TRUEinvivo® can help you or your loved ones.

Radiation dosimetry plays a crucial role in animal health, particularly in veterinary oncology, research, and agricultural safety. The DOSEmapper™ system offers precise radiation monitoring, which is essential for the safe treatment of animals undergoing radiotherapy or for monitoring exposure in research environments.

In veterinary oncology, the use of radiation therapy to treat cancer in animals is growing, and accurate dosimetry is key to ensuring effective treatment. DOSEmapper™ micro-silica bead thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) provide high-resolution radiation dose mapping [ ICRU recommends ±5% for effective radiotherapy. We measure ±3%, k=2 for each TLD ], helping veterinarians deliver the correct dosage to the affected area while minimising exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. This level of precision reduces the risk of side effects and improves recovery outcomes for animals.

Overall, DOSEmapper™ contributes significantly to advancing animal health by providing veterinarians and researchers with a reliable tool for radiation management, ensuring both therapeutic effectiveness and animal welfare.

TRUEinvivo’s micro silica bead technology is already widely used in medical research, with over 40 published papers highlighting its effectiveness in dosimetry. Researchers have applied the technology in a variety of settings, from personalised radiotherapy treatment plans to radiation safety in hospitals.

• Low-Cost Commercial Glass Beads as Dosimeters in Radiotherapy
• Energy Response of Glass Bead TLDs Irradiated with Radiation Therapy Beams
• Thermoluminescent Response of Beta-Irradiated Silica Beads
• Thermoluminescent Response of Silica Beads to High-Dose Irradiations
• And more resources on Dr Shakardokht Jafari ‘s Scopus page

In radiotherapy, DOSEmapper™ offers unparalleled accuracy in measuring the radiation dose applied to tumours, helping clinicians quickly identify and correct any deviations from the treatment plan. The technology can also be applied to animal health and personnel protection in radiation-heavy environments like operating theatres or imaging centres.

TRUEinvivo® is dedicated to advancing cancer treatment through innovation in radiation dosimetry. Our technology is designed not just for current clinical use, but for future research that pushes the boundaries of personalised medicine. Whether you’re a medical researcher looking to improve radiotherapy techniques or exploring new applications for radiation measurement, our DOSEmapper™ technology can provide the data you need.

If you’re interested in integrating DOSEmapper™ into your research, contact us today. Let’s work together to bring the next generation of precision in cancer treatment to life.

TRUEinvivo’s DOSEmapper™ ensures precise radiation dose measurement, helping health insurers verify treatment quality, and effectiveness, and manage costs.

TRUEinvivo’s DOSEmapper™ helps hospital managers reduce risk, improve outcomes, and cost control with precise radiation measurement.

TRUEinvivo’s DOSEmapper™ technology offers hospital managers a powerful solution for enhancing patient safety and treatment accuracy by providing precise radiation dose measurements during radiotherapy. It streamlines operations by automating the measurement process, reducing errors and staff workload, and improving resource management. Additionally, DOSEmapper™ supports cost management by preventing treatment errors that lead to costly corrective procedures and aligns with value-based care models, improving patient outcomes and hospital performance metrics.

In summary, TRUEinvivo’s DOSEmapper™ technology offers hospital managers a powerful tool to improve patient safety, optimise treatment accuracy, streamline operations, and reduce both costs and liability risks, all while supporting a transition to value-based care.