How Motion Aware Radiation Therapy Is Improving Cancer Treatment in Veterinary Patients
Radiation oncology is built on precision. Veterinary teams carefully plan fields, margins, and doses using advanced imaging to hit tumors hard while protecting healthy tissue. That balance becomes far more challenging when tumors sit in the chest cavity or near the lungs. With every breath, the target moves. That movement increases the risk of missing parts of the tumor or unintentionally irradiating normal tissue. A new research collaboration between veterinary and human radiation oncology experts is tackling this problem head on, with dogs playing a critical role in advancing motion aware cancer treatment.
Dr. Kim Selting, associate professor of radiation oncology in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine and a member of the Cancer Center at Illinois, is collaborating with Dr. Geoffrey Hugo, professor of radiation oncology and vice chair of medical physics at Washington University in St. Louis and a member of the Siteman Cancer Center. Their project, Development and Translation of Data Driven Four Dimensional Radiotherapy, is supported by funding from the Siteman Investment Program Research Development Award and the Cancer Center at Illinois. The work focuses on improving radiation targeting for tumors affected by respiratory motion, with the goal of reducing unintended radiation exposure to healthy soft tissue. The project also reflects a broader vision to connect engineering focused imaging research with real world clinical radiation oncology, creating a pipeline for innovation that benefits both veterinary and human patients.
Selting’s clinical work primarily involves dogs with naturally occurring cancers. These patients provide a powerful translational model because they develop spontaneous tumors, live in the same environments as humans, and maintain intact immune systems. This makes canine cancer patients especially valuable for studying radiation therapy techniques that must perform under real biological conditions. The findings from these cases can inform both veterinary treatment protocols and future human clinical applications.
The research relies on respiratory gated cone beam CT, a four dimensional imaging technique that captures detailed soft tissue images throughout the breathing cycle. Unlike traditional imaging that freezes anatomy at a single point in time, this approach reveals how tumors shift position with respiration. Selting collects these scans from canine patients during treatment. The data are then shared with Hugo’s lab at the Siteman Cancer Center, where advanced algorithms reconstruct motion compensated images. These reconstructions reduce artifacts and background noise, producing clearer images that allow for more accurate patient positioning and radiation delivery. So far, ten dogs have undergone respiratory gated cone beam CT scanning as part of the study. Imaging models originally trained on human data successfully reconstructed the canine scans, demonstrating the strong translational potential of the approach.
The team presented their findings at the 2025 American Association of Physicists in Medicine Annual Meeting, where the project earned a Blue Ribbon Poster Award for Excellence in Research. Beyond conference recognition, the clinical implications are significant. More accurate motion management allows radiation oncologists to treat tumors with tighter margins. That means less radiation to surrounding normal tissue, fewer long term side effects, and improved quality of life for patients. For veterinary oncology, this represents a meaningful step forward in delivering high dose radiation with greater confidence and safety.
The project funding also helped cover the cost of advanced CT imaging for participating patients. This reduced the financial burden on pet owners while allowing clinicians to gather critical information needed for safer, more precise treatment planning. By integrating research support with clinical care, the study demonstrates how innovation can directly benefit patients and clients, not just future protocols.
This collaboration highlights the growing role of veterinary medicine in advancing cancer treatment across species. By partnering with comprehensive cancer centers like Siteman, the Cancer Center at Illinois aims to establish a national hub for discovery that bridges basic science, engineering, and clinical practice. For veterinary professionals, especially those early in their careers, this work underscores how veterinary oncology is contributing to the future of radiation therapy. Dogs are not just patients. They are helping redefine how motion aware radiation treatment can protect healthy tissue while fighting cancer more effectively.
