New research presented at ESTRO 2026 highlights advances in MR-guided radiotherapy

In total, over 120 abstracts from more than 30 institutions worldwide span multiple anatomical sites, including breast, lung, pancreas, liver, kidney, bladder and CNS, among others. The research focuses on clinical outcomes, intrafraction motion management and biomarker-driven adaptive workflows.

Data suggests that high‑quality imaging combined with adaptive workflows can help refine how radiotherapy is delivered, enabling shorter, less invasive and more precisely targeted treatment, while maintaining clinical effectiveness.

“A basic principle of radiotherapy is that seeing what you treat is better than not seeing it. The emerging evidence at ESTRO demonstrates how this principle manifests in the everyday reality of clinical care” says John Christodouleas, MD, MPH, Head of Medical Affairs and Partner Research. “We couldn’t be more grateful to be working with the dedicated clinicians and researchers in the MR Linac Consortium who are helping evaluate and demonstrate the clinical value of the Elekta Unity.”

Prostate cancer: moving toward ultra-short treatment

In a plenary presentation, results from the HERMES study at The Royal Marsden evaluating two-fraction MR-guided radiotherapy for prostate cancer were presented.

Using the Elekta Unity MR-Linac, clinicians were able to visualize the prostate and surrounding organs in real time and adapt treatment prior to delivery, an important capability when delivering higher doses per session.

The study showed promising tolerability, supporting the potential for significantly shorter treatment schedules. If validated, this approach could reduce the burden of care for patients while improving healthcare efficiency.

Rectal cancer: enabling organ preservation

In rectal cancer, results from the MARS protocol from the University of Tübingen highlight how MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy with the Elekta Unity MR-Linac can support organ preservation strategies and help patients avoid lifelong colostomy bags.

By enabling precise dose escalation and adapting treatment over time, clinicians were able to achieve high response rates, allowing many patients to be managed with a non-operative “watch-and-wait” approach rather than immediate surgery, without compromising bowel function.

Liver metastases: precision enabling optimized treatment

A large international analysis of patients with liver oligometastases from the MOMENTUM and OligoCare registries highlights the relationship between image guidance and target dose.

While strong tumor control can be achieved with stereotactic radiotherapy, the findings suggest that higher doses may be required with conventional CBCT-guidance compared to MR-guidance to compensate for lower precision.

MR-guided radiotherapy enables more accurate visualization of tumors and surrounding tissue, which may allow effective treatment without increasing dose, particularly in anatomically challenging cases, and supports the role of MR-guidance in improving the therapeutic ratio.

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As a leader in precision radiation therapy, Elekta is committed to ensuring every patient has access to the best cancer care possible. We openly collaborate with customers to advance sustainable, outcome-driven and cost-efficient solutions to meet evolving patient needs, improve lives and bring hope to everyone dealing with cancer. To us, it's personal, and our global team of 4,500 employees combine passion, science, and imagination to profoundly change cancer care. We don’t just build technology, we build hope. Elekta is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in more than 40 countries and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, visit elekta.com.