An Investigation of Uncertainties in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

An Investigation of Uncertainties in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy PDF Author: Cory Knill
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Radiotherapy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The treatment of cancer using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is complex, involving many sub-processes to commission a treatment platform and treat patients. Uncertainties within the individual sub-process can lead to inaccurate treatments and sub-optimal patient outcomes. This research focused on minimizing uncertainties throughout IMRT commissioning and treatments. Methods: Five sub-processes were selected for uncertainty reduction: 1) optimizing radiation-imaging coincidence of the treatment machine, 2) improving the statistical model used to analyze IMRT commissioning data, 3) reducing the effect of ion recombination in IMRT quality assurance measurements, 4) improving the correlation between IMRT quality assurance results and patient-specific delivery inaccuracies, 5) commissioning of cranial stereotactic radiosurgery treatments. Results: Uncertainty reduction was achieved in all five sub-processes. Although the effect of this work on any single patient0́9s treatment is difficult to quantify, it is expected that the improvement in the sub-process accuracy will have a beneficial effect on the overall IMRT treatment delivery accuracy. Conclusion: Reducing uncertainties is an important aspect of radiotherapy quality assurance and should continue to be investigated for current and future treatment techniques.

An Investigation of Uncertainties in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

An Investigation of Uncertainties in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy PDF Author: Cory Knill
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Radiotherapy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The treatment of cancer using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is complex, involving many sub-processes to commission a treatment platform and treat patients. Uncertainties within the individual sub-process can lead to inaccurate treatments and sub-optimal patient outcomes. This research focused on minimizing uncertainties throughout IMRT commissioning and treatments. Methods: Five sub-processes were selected for uncertainty reduction: 1) optimizing radiation-imaging coincidence of the treatment machine, 2) improving the statistical model used to analyze IMRT commissioning data, 3) reducing the effect of ion recombination in IMRT quality assurance measurements, 4) improving the correlation between IMRT quality assurance results and patient-specific delivery inaccuracies, 5) commissioning of cranial stereotactic radiosurgery treatments. Results: Uncertainty reduction was achieved in all five sub-processes. Although the effect of this work on any single patient0́9s treatment is difficult to quantify, it is expected that the improvement in the sub-process accuracy will have a beneficial effect on the overall IMRT treatment delivery accuracy. Conclusion: Reducing uncertainties is an important aspect of radiotherapy quality assurance and should continue to be investigated for current and future treatment techniques.

A Practical Guide to Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy

A Practical Guide to Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy PDF Author:
Publisher: Medical Physics Publishing Corporation
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 464

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Book Description
Provides an account of the perspective, methodology, and experience in the physical and medical aspects of IMRT at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

Accuracy Requirements and Uncertainties in Radiotherapy

Accuracy Requirements and Uncertainties in Radiotherapy PDF Author: International Atomic Energy Agency
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789201008152
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
Accuracy requirements in radiation oncology have been defined in multiple publications; however, these have been based on differing radiation technologies. In the meantime, the uncertainties in radiation dosimetry reference standards have been reduced and more detailed patient outcome data are available. No comprehensive literature on accuracy and uncertainties in radiotherapy has been published so far. The IAEA has therefore developed a new international consensus document on accuracy requirements and uncertainties in radiation therapy, to promote safer and more effective patient treatments. This publication addresses accuracy and uncertainty issues related to the vast majority of radiotherapy departments including both external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. It covers clinical, radiobiological, dosimetric, technical and physical aspects.

Incorporating Uncertainty and Motion in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning

Incorporating Uncertainty and Motion in Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning PDF Author: Benjamin Charles Martin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Abstract: In radiation therapy, one seeks to destroy a tumor while minimizing the damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) uses overlapping beams of x-rays that add up to a high dose within the target and a lower dose in the surrounding healthy tissue. IMRT relies on optimization techniques to create high quality treatments. Unfortunately, the possible conformality is limited by the need to ensure coverage even if there is organ movement or deformation. Currently, margins are added around the tumor to ensure coverage based on an assumed motion range. This approach does not ensure high quality treatments. In the standard IMRT optimization problem, an objective function measures the deviation of the dose from the clinical goals. The optimization then finds the beamlet intensities that minimize the objective function. When modeling uncertainty, the dose delivered from a given set of beamlet intensities is a random variable. Thus the objective function is also a random variable. In our stochastic formulation we minimize the expected value of this objective function. We developed a problem formulation that is both flexible and fast enough for use on real clinical cases. While working on accelerating the stochastic optimization, we developed a technique of voxel sampling. Voxel sampling is a randomized algorithms approach to a steepest descent problem based on estimating the gradient by only calculating the dose to a fraction of the voxels within the patient. When combined with an automatic sampling rate adaptation technique, voxel sampling produced an order of magnitude speed up in IMRT optimization. We also develop extensions of our results to Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT). Due to the physics of proton beams the stochastic formulation yields visibly different and better plans than normal optimization. The results of our research have been incorporated into a software package OPT4D, which is an IMRT and IMPT optimization tool that we developed.

A Retrospective Dosimetry Comparison to Define Uncertainties Found in a Novel Intensity Modulated Electron Therapy (IMET) Treatment Technique for Use in Radiation Therapy

A Retrospective Dosimetry Comparison to Define Uncertainties Found in a Novel Intensity Modulated Electron Therapy (IMET) Treatment Technique for Use in Radiation Therapy PDF Author: Marco Masciantonio
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This study will investigate the difference in radiation at different volumes between traditional electron beam therapy and a novel IMET. The difference in dose absorbed at different locations of two patients will be recorded. Both patients will be treated with traditional electron therapy and intensity modulated electron therapy. The dose absorbed will also be recorded with slight shifts in x, y, and z-directions relative to the incoming beam for cases with and without intensity modulation. The difference between this new model treatment and the traditional treatment will be calculated. The difference between shifts of the target area will also be calculated. The main goal of this project is to determine if the target area is still sufficiently treated with this slight shift of the patient in different directions, and if IMET is the more efficient treatment option. The difference in dose observed of the target area and surrounding vital organs with the shift in the patient is crucial for the success of this project. It will determine if this method can be implemented in the future for use in radiation therapy treatments, depending on if the target area is still treated, and the vital organs are not in danger. If successful, this project will mean IMET can be further evaluated for clinical use for patient care.

Impact of Geometric Uncertainties on Dose Calculations for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy of Prostate Cancer

Impact of Geometric Uncertainties on Dose Calculations for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy of Prostate Cancer PDF Author: Runqing Jiang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy PDF Author: Arno J. Mundt
Publisher: PMPH-USA
ISBN: 9781550092462
Category : Cancer
Languages : en
Pages : 680

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Book Description
Presents the technical aspects of IMRT, and the clinical aspects of planning and delivery. The volulme explores a practical approach for radiation oncologists and medical physicists initiating or expanding and IMRT program, the fundamental biology and physics of IMRT, a site-by-site review of IMRT techniques with clinical examples, and reviews of published outcome studies.

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy PDF Author: S. Webb
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1420034111
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 441

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Book Description
Clinical conformal radiotherapy is the holy grail of radiation treatment and is now becoming a reality through the combined efforts of physical scientists and engineers, who have improved the physical basis of radiotherapy, and the interest and concern of imaginative radiotherapists and radiographers. Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy de

World Congress of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2006

World Congress of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2006 PDF Author: Sun I. Kim
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540368418
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 4361

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Book Description
These proceedings of the World Congress 2006, the fourteenth conference in this series, offer a strong scientific program covering a wide range of issues and challenges which are currently present in Medical physics and Biomedical Engineering. About 2,500 peer reviewed contributions are presented in a six volume book, comprising 25 tracks, joint conferences and symposia, and including invited contributions from well known researchers in this field.

Optimization Under Uncertainty in Radiation Therapy

Optimization Under Uncertainty in Radiation Therapy PDF Author: Timothy Ching-Yee Chan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description
(cont.) Finally, in the last part of the thesis, we study intensity-modulated proton therapy under uncertainty in the location of maximum dose deposited by the beamlets of radiation. We provide a robust formulation for the optimization of proton-based treatments and show that it outperforms traditional formulations in the face of uncertainty. In our computational experiments, we see evidence that optimal robust solutions use the physical characteristics of the proton beam to create dose distributions that are far less sensitive to the underlying uncertainty.