Tackling cancer with physics

Carleton University assistant professor Dr. Tong Xu received $130,000 from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. A further $120,000 was awarded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation .

The grants will be used to renovate Carleton’s physics laboratory and purchase new equipment to conduct Xu’s unique research.

As a student, Xu worked on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project in Switzerland where the conditions of the ‘big bang’ are expected to be replicated this summer. “Particle physics experiments such as LHC use techniques that can determine the mass, charge, and location of unknown particles from the radiation that they produce, without actually seeing them,” said Xu. “We use a similar idea to determine the location of the tumour without actually seeing it from outside of the patient.”

Radiation therapy is about precisely focusing X-ray beams on the tumour. However, if the tumour moves due to involuntary patient motion, such as breathing, the treatment’s outcome may be significantly compromised.

Current cancer treatment methods expose large areas of the body to irradiate tumours, yet simultaneously damage healthy tissues and organs around it. Xu will isolate tumours by tracking their movement and delivering precise shots of radiation. “A tiny radioactive marker will be inserted into the tumour,” explained Xu. “By detecting the radiation emitted from the marker, the location of the marker can be determined, which indicates the location of the tumour.”

Designed mainly for lung cancer, Xu’s technique can be used to treat other forms of cancer where motion is an issue. “(Our goal) is to have our techniques used at hospitals to benefit patients,” said Xu.

While he conducts his research, Xu teaches Carleton’s next generation of scientists how physics can be used to better diagnose and treat disease. “Carleton University is an excellent place to perform medical physics research,” said Xu. “The department of physics in Carleton University is one of the tops in the field of particle physics.”

Xu’s laboratory forms a part of Carleton University’s research centre, the Ottawa Medical Physics Institute (OMPI). He will work on this project in partnership with other Ottawa-area medical physicists. “Collectively, the medical physics community in Ottawa is one of the strongest and most diverse in Canada, spanning imaging physics, cancer therapy physics, medical biophysics and health physics,” said Xu. “It provides an ideal environment to perform medical physics researches and collaborations.”

Since moving to Orléans in 2007, Xu has discovered many benefits to living in the community. “Orléans is a family-oriented community, nice schools, convenient transportation,” said Xu. “But most important, the best neighbours we ever had.” For more information regarding OMPI visit: www.physics.carleton.ca/ompi -- By Riaz Sidi