MD Anderson researchers present radiation oncology findings at ASTRO 2026

Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will present approximately 70 abstracts at the 2026 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. The presentations focus on improving radiation accuracy and validating modern genomic testing using historical datasets.

A key study presented by the team analyzed over 800 radiation treatment plans from more than 650 institutions between 2013 and 2025. The research focused on stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), which requires extreme precision to be effective. While quality assurance has traditionally focused on machine accuracy, this study suggests that the radiation plan itself is a critical variable.

The findings revealed that the volume of healthy brain receiving high doses varied nearly fivefold across different treatment platforms. On standard linear accelerators, the researchers found that the choices made by the radiation planner—specifically how the radiation field is shaped around the target—accounted for more variation in dose delivery than the equipment itself. Presenting author Lian Duan noted that the same plan can result in different doses to healthy brain tissue depending on the machine used, emphasizing the need for clinics to benchmark against their specific equipment.