Polish and Spanish scientists improve radiotherapy planning. Technology already tested in Warsaw
A team of scientists from Poland and Spain has created a method that can significantly speed up the process of planning radiotherapy for oncology patients. The new solution involves the simultaneous generation of several radiation plans, from which the doctor selects the most beneficial one. Thanks to this, the time of treatment preparation can be shortened and its effectiveness increased.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is one of the most commonly used cancer treatment methods, also in Poland. It allows for precise destruction of cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue. A key element of this therapy is the preparation of a radiation treatment plan, which is created by a medical physicist and approved by an oncologist.
However, the planning process can be time-consuming – the doctor sometimes has to make corrections and the physicist creates the plan from scratch.
- When an oncologist receives an irradiation plan from a planner, he sometimes corrects it for medical reasons and the medical physicist prepares it again. This extends the entire process. It should also be noted that medical physicists are high-class specialists who are increasingly hard to find - emphasized Prof. Ignacy Kaliszewski from the Institute of Systems Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in an interview with PAP.
In response to this problem, scientists from the National Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, the Institute of Systems Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Almeria have developed a new method. Thanks to it, several different radiotherapy plans can be prepared for the same patient in one cycle. The oncologist receives them simultaneously and chooses the one that best suits the patient's individual needs.
- In one cycle, the oncologist will receive several radiation plans. This will allow for the selection of the most advantageous version and at the same time shorten the process of preparing the plan, which is crucial for the patient's well-being. It is also a convenience for people involved in the treatment preparation process - described Prof. Kaliszewski.
The new method is based on the so-called multi-criteria optimization – this means that it takes into account many factors important from the point of view of both the doctor and the physicist. Each of the plans shows the possible benefits of the therapy and the risk of side effects.
- Thanks to multiple plans, the doctor will obtain a comprehensive picture of the disease. He will know what side effects radiotherapy can cause, how much damage healthy organs can suffer, which version of radiation will bring the best result in the form of precise destruction of cancer cells - the PAP interviewee explained.
The new solution was presented in the journal Informatica . It is currently being tested at the Department of Medical Physics of the National Center of Oncology in Warsaw, headed by Prof. Paweł Kukołowicz. The method is not yet used in the treatment of patients, but scientists are optimistic.
The originator of the project is Prof. Ignacy Kaliszewski from the Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
- I called the National Oncology Center with this idea and the reaction was immediately positive: yes, we are interested in this. However, it is hard work to learn the language used by medical physicists. These are also tasks that require high computing power, which is provided to us by a group of scientists from Almeria - explained the researcher.
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