Proton Beam Therapy Dose Calculations and Evaluation using MRI

使用 MRI 进行质子束治疗剂量计算和评估

• 批准号: 2718660
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2718660
• 关键词: Proton; Beam; Therapy; Dose; Calculations

1) Brief description of the context of the research including potential impactThe Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) centre at UCLH has started treating patients. PBT is a precise radiation treatment in which a highly concentrated dose can be delivered to the target. Compared to photon-based radiotherapy (RT), PBT patients should benefit from reduced dose to surrounding healthy tissue; this makes PBT a favourable treatment option for tumours in particularly radiosensitive regions, however, accurate and reliable treatment planning is critical for realising the benefits of PBT.There is clear potential for MRI to be further utilised in PBT. Follow up MRI scans present an opportunity to retrospectively evaluate PBT treatment through radiation associated image changes (RAICs). Retrospective treatment evaluation is especially useful for PBT since the true position of concentrated dose can't be verified during treatment. Characterising RAICs in PBT would enable retrospective evaluation of treatment accuracy and would facilitate investigations into the susceptibility and response of specific structures to radiation dose. CT is used for treatment planning and dose calculation since proton stopping power is strongly influenced by electron density. CT is also more efficient and offers better geometric accuracy than MRI, however, CT scans impart considerable radiation dose to healthy tissue so carry greater patient risk. MRI-only treatment planning for PBT has been proposed to reduce dose from CT to healthy tissues in radiosensitive regions. For PBT, this technique would utilise the tissue classification potential of MRI to produce more informed maps of proton stopping power. The feasibility of both MRI use cases PBT is limited by the variability of intensity and image contrast obtained through conventional MRI. To realize MRI-only treatment planning and evaluation, quantitative MRI techniques will need to be refined and optimised.2) Aims and ObjectivesThere is clear potential for the benefits of MRI to be further utilised in PBT. This project aims to develop the MRI scans acquired throughout PBT treatment to improve treatment planning and evaluation. Initially, this project will focus on paediatric brain cancer treatments; the brain is relatively motion-free and there is extensive available software from the neuroimaging community for image registration, segmentation, and correction. The specific objectives are to:- Investigate image processing techniques and develop quantitative MRI sequences to enhance visibility of RAICs- Review physical models of proton stopping power to understand the influence of different tissue properties on dose distribution.- Relate observations through follow-up MRI scans to practical improvements in PBT treatment planning.- Evaluate feasibility and practical utility of MRI-only treatment planning for clinicians and patients. Refine MRI sequences and existing techniques for generating maps of proton stopping power.3) Novelty of Research MethodologyIn this project, novel MRI sequences will be developed for PBT treatment planning and evaluation. Previous studies have performed preliminary investigations into treatment planning and evaluation using MRI, however these studies have been based on conventional MRI sequences which are not designed for these purposes. This project will explore and refine quantitative MRI sequences to optimise their capacity for PBT treatment planning and evaluation.4) Alignment to EPSRC's strategies and research areasThis project is aligned with EPSRC's 'Medical imaging - including medical image and vision computing' research area. 5) Any companies or collaborators involvedThis project is in collaboration with the NHS Proton Beam Therapy service at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

1)研究背景的简要描述，包括潜在的影响UCLH的质子束治疗（PBT）中心已经开始治疗患者。PBT是一种精确的放射治疗，其中高度浓缩的剂量可以被递送到目标。与基于光子的放射治疗（RT）相比，PBT患者应受益于周围健康组织的剂量减少;这使得PBT成为特别是放射敏感区域肿瘤的有利治疗选择，然而，准确和可靠的治疗计划对于实现PBT的益处至关重要。随访MRI扫描提供了通过辐射相关图像变化（RAIC）回顾性评价PBT治疗的机会。回顾性治疗评价对于PBT特别有用，因为在治疗期间无法验证集中剂量的真实位置。表征PBT中的RAIC将使治疗准确性的回顾性评价成为可能，并将有助于调查特定结构对辐射剂量的敏感性和反应。CT用于治疗计划和剂量计算，因为质子阻止本领受到电子密度的强烈影响。CT也比MRI更有效，并且提供更好的几何准确性，但是，CT扫描会对健康组织产生相当大的辐射剂量，因此会带来更大的患者风险。已经提出了PBT的仅MRI治疗计划，以减少CT对放射敏感区域中健康组织的剂量。对于PBT，该技术将利用MRI的组织分类潜力来产生更有信息的质子阻止本领图。两种MRI用例PBT的可行性都受到通过常规MRI获得的强度和图像对比度的可变性的限制。为了实现仅MRI的治疗计划和评估，定量MRI技术将需要改进和优化。2）目的和目标MRI的益处在PBT中有明显的潜力被进一步利用。该项目旨在开发在PBT治疗过程中获得的MRI扫描，以改善治疗计划和评估。最初，该项目将专注于儿科脑癌治疗;大脑相对无运动，并且神经成像社区有大量可用的软件用于图像配准，分割和校正。具体目标是：-研究图像处理技术并开发定量MRI序列，以提高RAIC的可见性-审查质子阻止本领的物理模型，以了解不同组织特性对剂量分布的影响。将通过随访MRI扫描观察到的结果与PBT治疗计划的实际改进联系起来。评价临床医生和患者仅MRI治疗计划的可行性和实用性。3）研究方法的新奇在本项目中，将开发新的MRI序列用于PBT治疗计划和评估。先前的研究已经使用MRI对治疗计划和评价进行了初步研究，但是这些研究基于传统的MRI序列，而这些序列并非设计用于这些目的。该项目将探索和完善定量MRI序列，以优化其PBT治疗计划和评估的能力。4）与EPSRC的战略和研究领域保持一致该项目与EPSRC的“医学成像-包括医学图像和视觉计算”研究领域保持一致。5)任何公司或合作者参与该项目是在合作的NHS质子束治疗服务在大学学院伦敦医院NHS基金会信托。