Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are solving that problem with an image translation system designed to bridge the gap between advanced diagnostic techniques such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and the latest techniques for delivering precise doses of radiation to tumors. The system can also compensate for how tumors change and shift between diagnosis and treatment, during treatment, between treatments and even as patients breathe.

Based on advanced computer modeling, the image translation technique would facilitate a biological optimization planning system that uses information about the location and density of cancer cells to deliver escalated doses of radiation to tumors.

"The benefit to the patient would be in improved local tumor control," said Eva K. Lee, an associate professor with faculty appointments in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University School of Medicine. "That means the rate of recurrence should be lower and there will be fewer complications affecting the normal tissue. Patients should also experience fewer side effects from the treatment."

Information on the work, "Combined Modality Treatment Advances Incorporating Biological Metabolite Information for Cancer Treatment," was presented Tuesday, October 5, 2004 at the 46th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Atlanta. Sponsored by the Whitaker Foundation and the National Science Foundation, the work is part of Lee's long-term collaboration with Marco Zaider, professor of Physics in Radiology
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Contact: John Toon
john.toon@edi.gatech.edu
404-894-6986
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
12-Oct-2004