University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researcher Weisi Yan, MD, PhD, recently shared his work on radiation therapy at a major international conference, showcasing how new techniques could better protect patients’ immune systems while fighting cancer.
Yan, an associate professor in the UK College of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Medicine, delivered three presentations that highlighted his research at the International Conference on Advances in Radiation Oncology in Vienna, Austria, in June.
Yan’s research focuses on a challenge in cancer treatment: how to use radiation to kill tumors without damaging the body’s natural defenses. Traditional radiation therapy can weaken the immune system, making it harder for patients to fight cancer.
“We’re moving toward a future where radiotherapy not only controls tumors locally but mobilizes the body’s own defenses systemically,” Yan said.
His work examines new approaches to head and neck cancer treatment, including using artificial intelligence to better target radiation and avoid healthy tissue. He also presented research on advanced techniques like FLASH radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy, which can trigger the immune system to attack cancer cells throughout the body.
Two experimental treatments Yan developed called SCART and SBRT-PATHY aim to destroy the center of tumors while preserving immune-rich areas around the edges. Early results suggest these methods can fight cancer effectively while causing fewer side effects.
Yan has already started using some of these approaches with patients at UK Markey Cancer Center. By protecting key heart structures during lung cancer radiation, he has seen 20-30% higher counts of lymphocytes — white blood cells that help fight infection and disease — in patients compared to standard treatment.