title: Past, present, and future of radiotherapy for the benefit of patients.
abstract: Radiotherapy has been driven by constant technological advances since the discovery of X-rays in 1895. Radiotherapy aims to sculpt the optimal isodose on the tumour volume while sparing normal tissues. The benefits are threefold: patient cure, organ preservation and cost-efficiency. The efficacy and tolerance of radiotherapy were demonstrated by randomized trials in many different types of cancer (including breast, prostate and rectum) with a high level of scientific evidence. Such achievements, of major importance for the quality of life of patients, have been fostered during the past decade by linear accelerators with computer-assisted technology. More recently, these developments were augmented by proton and particle beam radiotherapy, usually combined with surgery and medical treatment in a multidisciplinary and personalized strategy against cancer. This article reviews the timeline of 100 years of radiotherapy with a focus on breakthroughs in the physics of radiotherapy and technology during the past two decades, and the associated clinical benefits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Antoine Lacassagne--University Nice Sophia Antipolis, 33 Avenue Valombrose, 06189 Nice, France.
authors.forename: Juliette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thariat
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hannoun-Levi
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sun Myint
authors.forename: Te
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vuong
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gérard
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011878:Radiotherapy