Objective
Objectives:
The general objective is to assess the viability of new real time treatment control and animated treatment planning tools in the care of cancer patients. The specific objectives are:
a) Real time, dynamic, in-treatment monitoring facilitating control based upon deviations from a desired irradiation geometry and/or dose plan.
b) To introduce knowledge on potential patient movement patterns into treatment planning.
c) The substitution of patient specific motion-sensor measurements into repeated application of (b) as a treatment progresses to conclusion.
d) The enhancement of clinical understanding through biological modeling as an oncological advisory facility in both (b) and (c).
The ARROW project seeks to bring about a significant advancement in the process of radiotherapy for cancer treatment. It addresses the problem that at present radiotherapy takes place in the context of a static patient. By this we mean that the patient is assumed to be stationary throughout the treatment delivery and to remain unchanged between radiation fractions delivered over a period of weeks. Obviously, this expectation is unrealistic. ARROW seeks to restore reality to radiotherapy by providing a series of physical and software tools that will enable clinicians to consider patient movement when planning, delivering and assessing their treatment of patients.
The project recognises that for movement to be fully integrated with contempory radiotherapy practise a number of new features need to be in place; - planning systems that allow animation and movement data;
- exterior position and movement data gathered form the patient during treatment with high temporal resolution;
- identification and tracking of critical internal body features in real time during treatment. Tools for the computer representation and manipulation of internal/external anatomical structures of importance (healthy or diseased) which lie within the radiation volume;
- an understanding of the radio-biological issues raised by data and systems such as those above. The two major workpackages within ARROW address these specific needs.
Workpackage 1 concentrates upon the intreatment phase and develops tools for the automatic extraction of internal organ movement form MVI. Workpackage 2 deals with the treatment planning and assessment phases and provides the basis for the investigation into the radio-biological issues. This workpackage also delivers the components for external body sensing and anatomical structure modelling. The whole of ARROW is a close collaboration between clinicians, medical physicists, information scientists and engineers with the clear aim of bringing about a result, which is of CLINICAL value in the PRACTISE of radiotherapy. To this end ARROW is entirely clinically lead. The coordinating partner is a UK hospital and the chief scientist is a consultant at a German radiotherapy clinic. ARROW will disseminate its activities by means of a user group, which will be setup to monitor and provide further clinical input into the project. Keywords: Conformal Radiotherapy, Oncology, Biological Modelling, Patient Movement, Radiotherapy Treatment Planning, Cancer.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
M20 4BX Manchester
United Kingdom