Cargo Cult Radiotherapy: The Illusion of Precision in Advanced Technologies

TL;DR

The paper questions if advanced radiotherapy techniques truly offer precision benefits as claimed.

Contribution

It challenges the assumptions behind precision radiotherapy and encourages critical evaluation of these technologies.

Findings

Advanced radiotherapy techniques aim to improve outcomes through anatomical precision.

The paper argues that the benefits of these techniques may be based on flawed assumptions.

The goal is to stimulate debate rather than provide a comprehensive review.

Abstract

Emerging radiotherapy technologies such as proton therapy, MR-guided radiotherapy, and real-time adaptive radiotherapy share a common goal of improving radiotherapy outcomes by increasing the anatomic precision of treatment delivery. In this piece, we provide a critical view of “precision radiotherapy” by examining the assumptions underlying the theory and practice of these techniques. Our goal was not to provide an exhaustive review of published literature; rather, we strove to write an accessible and thought-provoking article that would challenge conventional wisdom and stimulate further discussion and debate.