The National University of Colombia Is Using 3D Printing To Reduce Radiation Therapy Damage

Radiation therapy is a process that some people undergo to cure or relieve symptoms caused by cancer. In the past, radiation therapy significantly damaged parts of the body by focusing radiation exposure on the targeted area of the cancer. Today there is a material called a bolus, equivalent to tissue, which is used to reduce the depth of the maximum dose of the rays. It is a flexible material since it has to adapt to the curvatures of the body. Different types of boluses are used in radiotherapy, depending on factors such as the location of the tumor, the depth of the radiation or the characteristics of the patient themselves. Some examples of materials used are plastics or silicone. However, a new development from the National University of Columbia has introduced a possibly more effective bolus made from 3D printed material.

The most common boluses are made of kerosene, which is a petroleum derivative, explains the National University of Colombia (UNAL). They also point out that these petroleum-derived materials do not adapt well to the patient’s body, generating air pockets, thus affecting dosimetry; the dose of radiation absorbed by the patient’s tissues during the application of the treatment. Although Formlabs and Frontiers in Oncology have experimented with 3D bolus printing in recent years, they have thus far not obtained optimal results. However, Karen Marcela Carrillo Chacón, with a master’s degree in Medical Physics from UNAL, has managed to optimize bolus 3D printing with surprising results.

3D printed boluses for radiotherapy treatments

Testing The 3D Printed Bolus: Function and Material

3D bolus printing has made it possible to create customized materials for different patients. These materials adapt to the patient’s body in a way that improves the distribution of radiation, reducing the damage caused to the organs and tissue surrounding the area where the tumor is located. Karen worked on this technology in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute of Colombia (INC). The results obtained were so promising thanks to the materials used, which in this case were ABS and PLA. The National University of Colombia explains that “hundreds of sheets” were printed and tested in a linear accelerator, the device responsible for applying radiation to the patient’s cancer cells.