Adaptive radiation therapy is changing what is possible in radiation oncology, allowing physicians to adjust treatment to a patient’s cancer and anatomy in real time and deliver radiation with greater precision.
Fox Chase Cancer Center—Temple Health’s growing leadership in the field brought Vivek S. Kavadi, MD, MBA, FASTRO, chief executive officer of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), to the Cancer Center on October 6 for a firsthand look at its adaptive radiation program.
During his visit, Kavadi observed the technology in clinical practice, met with Fox Chase radiation oncology leaders and faculty, and delivered a lecture to the Fox Chase community.
“Having Dr. Kavadi spend time with the people doing this work provided an important opportunity to share what we are learning and exchange ideas about where radiation oncology is headed,” said Robert G. Uzzo, MD, MBA, FACS, president and CEO of Fox Chase. “As a comprehensive cancer center, we have a responsibility not only to provide outstanding care today, but also to help develop approaches that can improve cancer care tomorrow.”
Fox Chase began offering CT-based adaptive radiation therapy in 2023 and has since developed one of the nation’s largest and most experienced programs using the technology. Unlike conventional radiation therapy, adaptive therapy allows clinicians to modify a patient’s treatment plan in real-time immediately before an individual treatment to account for changes in the tumor and surrounding organs. The goal is to target cancer more precisely while limiting radiation exposure to healthy tissue.
“We were pleased to give Dr. Kavadi a firsthand look at how we have integrated adaptive radiation therapy into clinical care and research at Fox Chase,” said Eric Horwitz, MD, FABS, FASTRO, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Fox Chase and the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. “Adaptive therapy gives us the ability to respond to the anatomy we see in front of us each day, and we continue to explore how we can use that capability to make radiation treatment more precise and effective for our patients.”
ASTRO is the world’s largest radiation oncology society, representing more than 10,000 physicians, nurses, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, researchers, and other professionals involved in radiation therapy. Kavadi, a radiation oncologist with more than 30 years of clinical experience, became ASTRO’s chief executive officer in 2024.
Fox Chase’s Department of Radiation Oncology offers a range of advanced radiation technologies and is conducting clinical research to expand the use of adaptive radiation therapy across multiple cancer types.