Other image-guided radiotherapy techniques
Figure 1. Tumor positions in an anthropomorphic porcine phantom detected by a template matching algorithm.
© Mann et al. 2020
Conventional image-guided radiotherapy (IgRT) techniques based on x-ray imaging is still not fully established in clinical routine. Our group investigates the geometrical and dosimetrical accuracy of newly developed adaptive image-guided radiotherapy workflows. This includes end-to-end test with newly developed anthropomorphic phantoms in combination with 3D gel dosimetry as well as other detectors. In addition, surface-guided radiation therapy (SgRT) techniques have been investigated and implemented in clinical routine at the university hospital Heidelberg for deep inspiration breath-hold radiotherapy of breast cancer. SgRT is currently established and evaluated for ion beam radiotherapy at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Radiotherapy Center (HIT).
As a new approach, the technical basis of robot-assisted ultrasound-guided radiotherapy (USgRT) is currently established. This includes a robot-assisted ultrasonic monitoring system that adapts to patient movements and monitors the pressure on the patient.
Selected publications (in chronological order)
- Seitz K.P., Karger C.P., Bendl R. Schwahofer A.: Strategy for automatic ultrasound (US) probe positioning in robot-assisted ultrasound guided radiation therapy. Physics in Medicine and Biology 2023 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/acaf46
- Qubala A., Schwahofer A., Jersemann S., Eskandarian S., Harrabi S., Naumann P., Winter M., Ellerbrock M., Shafee J., Abtehi S., Herfarth K., Debus J., Jäkel O.: Optimizing the Patient Positioning Workflow of Patients with Pelvis, Limb, and Chest/Spine Tumors at an Ion-Beam Gantry based on Optical Surface Guidance. Adv Radiat Oncol. 8, 101105, 2022 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452109422002111?via%3Dihub
- Mann P, Witte M, Mercea P, Nill S, Lang C, Karger C.P.: Feasibility of markerless fluoroscopic real-time tumor detection for adaptive radiotherapy: development and end-to-end testing. Physics in Medicine and Biology 65, 115002, 2020 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/ab8578
- Seitz P.K., Baumann B., Johnen W., Lissek C., Seidel J. Bendl R.: Development of a robot-assisted ultrasound-guided radiation therapy (USgRT). International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery 15, 491-501, 2020 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11548-019-02104-y
- Mann P., Schwahofer A., Karger C.P.: Absolute dosimetry with polymer gels – A TLD reference system. Physics in Medicine and Biology 64, 045010, 2019 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/aafd41
- Moser T., Habl G., Uhl M., Schubert K., Sroka-Perez G., Debus J., Herfarth K., Karger C.P.: Clinical evaluation of a laser surface scanning system in 120 patients for improving daily setup accuracy in fractionated radiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 85, 846-853, 2013 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360301612006967?via%3Dihub
- Moser T., Fleischhacker S., Schubert K., Sroka-Perez G., Karger C.P.: Technical performance of a commercial laser surface scanning system for patient setup verification in radiotherapy. Physica Medica 27, 224-232, 2011 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S112017971000061X?via%3Dihub
- Schöffel P.J., Harms W., Sroka-Perez G., Schlegel W., Karger C.P.: Accuracy of a commercial optical 3D surface imaging system for realignment of patients for radiotherapy of the thorax. Physics in Medicine and Biology 52, 3949-3963, 2007 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-9155/52/13/019