100th patient treated with the MRI-Linac at the Jules Bordet Institute: The Medicine of the Future at the service of patients
Photo : The MRI-Linac team alongside the 100th patient who travelled from Charleroi for 3 sessions.
Brussels, 15th of January 2024 – Since the Jules Bordet Institute moved to its new site and thanks to financing of 6.5 million euros from the Jules Bordet Association, the Radiotherapy Department can now count on a very particular machine for treating cancer patients: the 1.5 Tesla MRI-Linac, the first in Belgium. A machine that is bringing new hope to a lot of people.
Real-time adaptive radiotherapy
The MRI-Linac combines the imaging precision of an MRI that clearly identifies the treatment zone with the power of a linear accelerator to deliver an optimal treatment. This association permits what is known as “real-time adaptive” radiotherapy. For the patient, this represents a personalised approach that enables treatment to be adapted daily depending on the morphology of the tumour and neighbouring organs at the time. The aim is twofold: to minimise the treatment toxicity while optimising the dose delivery and at the same time to preserve the patient’s quality of life as no more than 3 to 5 trips to the hospital are needed. A standard treatment lasts between 20 and 35 sessions.
One more step towards tomorrow’s medicine
This machine is making it possible to take one more step towards tomorrow’s medicine by obtaining functional images that provide information on the tumour biology. The next step will be to adapt the treatment to the morphology as well as the tumour biology at the time, in keeping with the philosophy of ultra-personalised medicine. This machine is used primarily for patients with cancers of the abdomen or pelvis (prostrate, rectum) as well as cancers that are technically difficult to treat such as pancreatic, liver and adrenal cancer. Various research projects are also underway. Five pancreatic patients have been included in an innovative randomised stereotaxis study led by the Institut Jules Bordet and involving several Belgian centres. This progress is testimony to the commitment of the Jules Bordet Institute and the Brussels University Hospital to providing personalised care at the leading edge of technology, thereby opening the door to a new era in cancer radiotherapy.
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Clara Mercier
ABOUT THE JULES BORDET ASSOCIATION
For the past 50 years cancer research at the Bordet Institute has been inseparable from the Jules Bordet Association (formerly The Friends of the Bordet Institute). As the Institute's biggest private-sector donor, this non-profit organization has raised more than 150 million euros over the past 50 years with which to finance hundreds of research projects and achieve major progress for the benefit of patients. True to its mission, the Jules Bordet Association has already granted 18 million euros for research activities at the new hospital, including almost 6 million euros to enable the Bordet Institute to purchase the 1.5 Tesla MRI-Linac and the simulator MRI. To find out more about the Jules Bordet Association visit the website at www.association-jules-bordet.be
ABOUT THE JULES BORDET INSTITUTE
An integrated multidisciplinary centre, the only one of its kind in Belgium, the Jules Bordet Institute is an autonomous hospital dedicated exclusively to cancerous diseases.
During the past 80 years the Jules Bordet Institute has been offering its patients diagnostic and treatment strategies at the leading edge of progress to prevent, detect and actively fight cancer. The Institute pursues three missions: care, research and teaching. The Institute's international reputation attracts leading experts in the field of cancer. Its spirit of innovation has enabled it to participate in the development and discovery of new methods of diagnosis and major treatment innovations, with the aim of translating the results into improved patient care as rapidly as possible.
In May 2028, the Jules Border Institute was officially awarded, for the second time, OECI (Organisation of European Cancer Institutes) accreditation as a "Comprehensive Cancer Center", a quality label reserved for multidisciplinary cancer care institutions that combine research and training. The Jules Bordet Institute is the only Comprehensive Cancer Centre with OECI accreditation in Belgium.
On 28 November 2021, the Jules Bordet Institute opened its new building on the ULB university campus in Anderlecht with 80,000 m² fully dedicated to leading edge cancer care, research and training, as well as a patient well-being centre. It offers 250 hospitalisation beds and 43 day hospitalisation beds.
The Jules Bordet Institute is also part of the H.U.B., the University Hospital of Brussels, which includes the Erasmus Hospital, the Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola Children's Hospital. Thanks to new investments, this internationally renowned university hospital group is able to guarantee high quality care accessible to all combined with excellence in research and training.
ABOUT THE H.U.B
The Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles (H.U.B) is the academic hospital of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), which unites the Jules Bordet institute, the Erasme Hospital and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital (HUDERF) since 2021.
As an international reference center, located in the heart of the Brussels Region, the H.U.B offers high quality general, oncological and pediatric care.
This excellent care, accessible to all, is enriched and sustained by a dual approach of scientific research and teaching for the caregivers of tomorrow.
In 2022, the H.U.B. is composed of more than 6,000 employees who share the following values: Interest of the patient, Respect, Commitment, Solidarity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the principle of Free enquiry.