Technology-driven improvement in cancer treatment

One major strategy, technology-driven improvement of treatment conformity in cancer treatment, including advanced image guidance, advanced charged particle therapy (CPT), and application of nanoparticles in hyperthermia, will enable further widening of the therapeutic window of cancer treatment in the era of precision medicine.
The state of the art treatment in photon-therapy is advanced 3D conformal treatment, including the use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) techniques with image guidance (image-guided radiation therapy; IGRT) and stereotactic radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy with high-energy charged particles has become an attractive therapeutic option for patients with several tumor types because of their unique depth dose characteristics, which can be exploited to achieve significant reductions in normal tissue doses proximal and distal to the target volume. These may allow escalation of tumor doses, improving local control and survival while at the same time reducing toxicity and improving quality of life.
By introducing nanotechnology and biomedical application of nanoparticles and redefining the biological rationale of hyperthermia along with the availability of better hard and software, hyperthermia also permits safer and more effective treatment and holds great promise for combating cancers.
This review, describes technology driven improvements in photon-therapy, CPT and nanohyperthermia including merits/drawbacks and the action domains of each method in cancer treatment