‘It’s been a gamechanger’: AI-powered radiation system boosts cancer care in London, Ont.

LHSC has introduced new AI-powered radiation therapy where scans completed in seconds allow more cancer patients to be treated daily. Reta Ismail reports.

The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has introduced a new AI-assisted radiation therapy system that can scan patients in seconds and increase the number of people treated each day.

The Varian Ethos, an artificial intelligence-powered linear accelerator, can complete body scans in as little as eight seconds. It is one of only four systems in Canada and is now operating at the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre.

Dr. Stewart Gaede, LHSC’s chief medical physicist, says the technology is already transforming how care is delivered.

“It’s been fantastic,” he said. “We’ve implemented real-time adaptive therapy for prostate and bladder cancers, and we’re moving into head, neck and breast cancers as well. It’s been a gamechanger for sure.”

AI allows the system to detect daily changes inside a patient’s body, from shifting anatomy to variations in tumour size, enabling oncologists to create a custom treatment plan for every session rather than wait for updated CT scans.

“London is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, and cancer incidence is rising,” Gaede said. “Technologies like this help us increase efficiency, decrease wait times and still provide precise and accurate radiation therapy with lower side effects.”

The centre treats up to 4,500 radiation patients every year. LHSC says the faster scans and more precise targeting mean a better experience for patients and improved outcomes.

“This gives us an opportunity to pursue new treatment approaches that better spare healthy tissue and treat the tumour itself,” Gaede said. “That means better outcomes and fewer side effects.”

With Ethos now in use, LHSC can treat 10 to 20 additional patients each day. The hospital expects to expand the technology to even more cancer types in the coming months.

The Ethos was funded by a generous donation from The Mitchell and Kathryn Baran Family Foundation, supported by Trudell Medical Limited.

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