The Royal Marsden uses radiotherapy tech to improve cancer care
An advanced radiotherapy planning system has been rolled out at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to enhance personalised treatment for patients.
RaySearch Laboratories’ technology introduces online adaptive radiotherapy (oART), which enables clinicians to adjust a patient’s treatment plan on the same day, while the patient is on the treatment bed, based on changes in the patient’s anatomy.
The first patient was treated in March 2025, delivered using the Accuray Radixact linear accelerator (linac), the latest version of a treatment planning system Raystation and The Royal Marsden’s existing oncology information system.
Dr Susan Lalondrelle, consultant clinical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS FT, said: “We are extremely proud to be the first cancer centre in the world to treat a patient using RaySearch’s advanced online adaptive radiotherapy technology on Radixact, and we are hugely grateful to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity for funding this vital equipment.
“Being able to tailor each treatment session to the patient’s daily anatomy is a major step forward in delivering more personalised cancer care.
“This achievement reflects The Royal Marsden’s ongoing commitment to leading innovation in radiotherapy.
“The Royal Marsden, RaySearch and Accuray are continuing to work together on future developments, thanks to a generous donation from the Lady Garden Foundation, which will further enhance cancer care.”
Traditionally, radiotherapy involves creating a treatment plan based on a planning CT scan of the patient’s anatomy, with clinicians outlining the treatment area and adding a margin of healthy tissue to accommodate anatomical changes.
However, significant changes in the patient’s anatomy over the course of treatment can require a new plan.
Online adaptive radiotherapy transforms this process by allowing clinicians to generate a new, personalised treatment plan every day.
This adaptation takes place during the treatment session, accounting for even subtle changes, such as weight fluctuations and bladder filling, allowing highly precise, targeted treatment that minimises damage to healthy tissue and reducing side effects.
The Radixact linac enhances image-guided radiotherapy, which uses imaging to ensure precise tumour targeting.
The machine features an integrated CT scanner that captures high-quality images over the whole treatment area, allowing radiographers to accurately assess the patient’s internal anatomy and direct radiotherapy more precisely.
Johan Löf, founder and chief executive at RaySearch, said: “Online adaptive has been a key focus for RaySearch for many years and I am happy that The Royal Marsden has treated its first patient using this groundbreaking RayStation technology.
“RayStation has very advanced tools available for taking online adaptive into clinical practice, and we look forward to collaborating with the team at The Royal Marsden to further improve efficiency in this field, and thereby advance cancer treatment.”
Meanwhile, the government announced in May 2025 that a cancer diagnostic tool will be rolled out across the NHS to help cut treatment delays and boost survival rates.
