TasksΒΆ
The challenge aims at covering the latest technological innovations in radiation therapy, starting with:
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(i) the delivery of photon therapy using VMAT, where radiation is continuously delivered during linear accelerator gantry rotation. This requires sophisticated radiation treatment delivery planning using CT images (allowing electron density estimation) for radiation transport calculations.
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(ii) The second area is MRI guided radiotherapy using hybrid MRI-linacs, where the acquisition of MRI images in-room allows superior soft tissue contrast for online radiation plan adaptation to ensure maximum personalization. Since MRI does not provide electron density directly, novel dose calculation approaches are required using either synthetic CTs or calculation directly on MRI.
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(iii) Proton therapy is an alternative to photon therapy requiring highly specialized facilities bringing advantages due to the localized energy deposition in the proton Bragg peak, which allows sparing of critical structures but also requires very accurate dose calculation on CT images.
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(iv) Finally, cutting edge research aims at developing prototype MRI-proton systems combining the superior soft tissue contrast of MRI with the precision of proton therapy, and where dose calculation on MRI is again required.
As such, four tasks are defined:
- Task 1: Photon therapy dose calculation on CT images
- Task 2: Photon therapy dose calculation on MRI images
- Task 3: Proton therapy dose calculation on CT images
- Task 4: Proton therapy dose calculation on MRI images
In summary for each task:
Inputs:
- A 3D patient volume (CT or MRI)
- Specifications for a radiotherapy beam (photons or protons)
Outputs:
- A 3D dose distribution for the patient/beam combination