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The Jules Bordet Institute Radiotherapy Department takes a step further in personalised cancer treatment

Press release (08/11/2022) 

The Jules Bordet Institute Radiotherapy Department takes a step further in personalised cancer treatment

The 8 November 2022 - Thursday 10 November, almost a year since it moved to the Anderlecht campus, the Jules Bordet Institute – part of the Brussels University Hospital together with the Erasmus Hospital and the Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospital – will be officially inaugurating its Radiology Department. A department equipped with brand new innovative infrastructure including Belgium's first 1.5T MRI-Linac and the first MRI simulator acquired thanks to financing of 6.5 million euros from the Jules Bordet Association. These technologies, at the cutting edge of innovation, allow us to go even further in personalising cancer treatments and exploring new therapeutic research.

radiotherapy

More precise and effective treatment thanks to MRI
MRI is a non-radiating imaging method that permits improved quality images and more precise tumour targeting that spares healthy organs and tissue. The 1.5 Tesla MRI-Linac combines an MRI scanner and a linear accelerator. This makes it possible to capture images before, during and after each radiotherapy session so that the treatment can be adapted to the situation on the day. With a 1.5 T MRI we can not only acquire anatomical images and adapt the treatment to the morphology of the day but also obtain functional images that inform us of the tumour's biology. The next stage will be to adapt the treatment to the tumour biology in real time and to each patient in keeping with the philosophy of a personalised medicine.

The Radiology Department has also acquired an MRI simulator, dedicated uniquely to treatment preparation. The patient can now effect all the imaging necessary for the effective planning and carrying out of treatment on an MRI scanner. This is the concept known as "Total MRI Workflow". 

A revolution to come: Flash Therapy
Flash Therapy involves delivering the radiotherapy doses in just a few milliseconds rather than over several minutes as is the case with traditional treatment. The impact on the tumour remains the same but healthy cells are spared. This makes it possible to improve treatment effectiveness while reducing toxicity. The radiotherapy community has high hopes for this approach as, on the basis of the first clinical results, it is a technique that would make it possible to treat patients with zero or near zero toxicity. An update of the Mobetron (machine used for intraoperative radiotherapy in breast cancers) will enable the radiotherapy team at the Jules Bordet Institute to be a part of the Flash Therapy revolution. Initially, Flash Therapy will lie in the field of fundamental and translational research, but the aim is to develop and carry out clinical trials in cooperation with other international centres, for the patient's benefit. The reference centre in the fight against cancer is pursuing its desire to offer patients equipment at the leading edge of technology and increasingly precise and effective cancer treatment.  

  • Press contact
    • Press responsible : Alexandra Cazan
      • E-mail : alexandra.cazan@bordet.be + communication@hubruxelles.be
      • Tel : +32 (0)2 541 38 89
      • Mob : +32 (0) 493 16 74 79
         
    • Press officer : Gabrielle Vanhoudenhove
      • E-mail : gabrielle.vanhoudenhove@erasme.ulb.ac.be + communication@hubruxelles.be
      • Tel : +32 (0)2 555 83 95

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. 

www.bordet.be 

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 100 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