Developing a technique to measure levels of tumour hypoxia during proton beam therapy through gamma-ray spectroscopy

大约50%的患者接受放疗作为癌症治疗的一部分。放疗后影响临床结果的最重要因素之一是肿瘤缺氧。低氧水平（缺氧）是肿瘤微环境的一个特征，其驱动转移潜能增加并赋予对放射治疗的抗性，从而降低总生存期。然而，即使在放射治疗方面取得了进展，包括朝着质子束治疗（PBT）的方向发展，缺氧介导的放射抗性仍然是一个复杂的问题。该项目旨在开发一种技术，以测量氧气水平，从而缺氧，在肿瘤治疗与PBT在真实的时间。在PBT期间，通过原子电子的电离和质子与原子核的相互作用，剂量沉积在组织中。该项目采用多学科方法来利用PBT期间自然产生的辐射来测量缺氧。治疗期间缺氧的真实的时间测量将告知适应性治疗，其中辐射剂量可以升级以克服分次治疗计划期间的缺氧辐射抗性。

Around 50% of patients receive radiotherapy as part of their cancer treatment. One of the most important factors influencing clinical outcome, following radiotherapy, is tumour hypoxia. Low oxygen levels (hypoxia), is a characteristic of the tumour microenvironment which drives increased metastatic potential and confers resistance to radiotherapy, decreasing overall survival. However, even with advances in radiotherapy, including a move towards proton beam therapy (PBT), hypoxia-mediated radio-resistance is a complexity that remains. This project aims to develop a technique to measure oxygen levels, and consequently hypoxia, in tumours treated with PBT in real time. During PBT, dose is deposited in tissue by both the ionisation of atomic electrons and proton interactions with the atomic nuclei. This project takes a multidisciplinary approach to harness the naturally produced radiation during PBT to measure hypoxia. Real time measurement of hypoxia during treatment will inform adaptive therapy where radiation dose can be escalated to overcome hypoxic radio-resistance during fractionated treatment planning.