Speaker
Description
Radiation therapy is an important modality in the care of many cancer patients. It can be used to shrink or eliminate tumours, prevent microscopic disease spread and relieve pain. In all cases, the safety and efficacy of the treatment rely on the geometric accuracy of the delivery of the radiation. The introduction of image guidance in radiation therapy has enabled the delivery of highly targeted radiation doses, leading to improved patient outcomes as well as reduced side effects. Image guidance in radiation therapy has been so effective at augmenting the capabilities of the technology that it is now a standard component of most modern radiation therapy delivery systems. In this presentation, I will lay the foundation for understanding the impact of image guidance on the treatment of cancer with radiation. With a focus on our experience at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, I will outline how image guidance has enabled advances in treatment delivery techniques. Finally, I will explore how some of these advances in technology and computer science are allowing us to use image information to adapt the radiation dose distribution as a given treatment progresses.