An innovative alternative for large tumors with no other therapeutic options
El Canary Islands Comprehensive Cancer Center (COIC) de San Roque University Hospitals continues to make progress in the development of innovative treatments for cancer patients with very advanced stages of disease. In this context, the Radiotherapy Oncology Service has participated in the development and application of a new modality of Lattice Radiotherapya technique specifically designed for the treatment of large, unresectable tumors resistant to conventional treatments.
These patients usually present large tumors These lesions do not respond adequately to systemic treatments and have very limited therapeutic options. In addition to compromising survival, they can cause intense pain, ulceration, infections, functional limitations, and a significant decline in quality of life.
La Lattice Radiotherapy It emerges as an innovative alternative for these cases. The technique consists of administering very high doses of radiation to strategic points located within the tumor, called verticeswhile maintaining minimal exposure to surrounding healthy organs. This approach increases treatment efficacy while reducing the risk of toxicity. The director of the Canary Islands Comprehensive Cancer Center, Professor Dr. Peter Lara, is part of the international team that published an important scientific article in the prestigious journal in June 2026 Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, where the fundamentals and clinical applications of this technique are described.
Furthermore, since 2022, the Radiation Oncology Department at COIC has developed its own innovative advanced planning method for Lattice Radiotherapy, capable of further increasing the dose delivered to the tumor while minimizing side effects on healthy tissue. The results obtained to date are particularly promising. The team has demonstrated that this advanced Lattice Radiotherapy modality can be administered in just three days of treatment, achieving an objective response rate of 82% and a survival rate exceeding 50% at one year of follow-up. These results are especially significant considering that these patients had very advanced tumors and lacked other effective therapeutic alternatives.
This important scientific advance has culminated in the presentation of the doctoral thesis entitled “Automated Clinical Dosimetry Planning for Lattice Radiotherapy”, developed by David MacíasThe doctor, a hospital physicist at San Roque University Hospitals and professor at Fernando Pessoa University of the Canary Islands, defended his thesis on June 19 at San Roque University Hospitals, further solidifying the center's role as a leader in research, innovation, and the development of new therapeutic strategies in radiation oncology.
With this new milestone, the Canary Islands Comprehensive Cancer Center (COIC) of San Roque University Hospitals reinforces its commitment to applied research and the incorporation of cutting-edge treatments that allow it to offer new opportunities to patients with advanced cancer.
