CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation (Jun 2017)

Applying physical science techniques and CERN technology to an unsolved problem in radiation treatment for cancer: the multidisciplinary ‘VoxTox’ research programme

  • Neil Gunn Burnet,
  • Jessica Scaife,
  • Marina Romanchikova,
  • Simon Thomas,
  • Amy Bates,
  • Emma Wong,
  • David Noble,
  • Leila Shelley,
  • Simon Bond,
  • Julia Forman,
  • Andrew Hoole,
  • Gillian Barnett,
  • Frederic Brochu,
  • Michael Simmons,
  • Raj Jena,
  • Karl Harrison,
  • Ping Lin Yeap,
  • Amelia Drew,
  • Emma Silvester,
  • Patrick Elwood,
  • Hannah Pullen,
  • Andrew Sultana,
  • Shannon Seah,
  • Megan Wilson,
  • Simon Russell,
  • Richard Benson,
  • Yvonne Rimmer,
  • Sarah Jefferies,
  • Nicolette Taku,
  • Mark Gurnell,
  • Andrew Powlson,
  • Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb,
  • Xiaohao Cai,
  • Michael Sutcliffe,
  • Michael Parker

DOI
https://doi.org/10.23726/cij.2017.457
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1, no. 1

Abstract

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The VoxTox research programme has applied expertise from the physical sciences to the problem of radiotherapy toxicity, bringing together expertise from engineering, mathematics, high energy physics (including the Large Hadron Collider), medical physics and radiation oncology. In our initial cohort of 109 men treated with curative radiotherapy for prostate cancer, daily image guidance computed tomography (CT) scans have been used to calculate delivered dose to the rectum, as distinct from planned dose, using an automated approach. Clinical toxicity data have been collected, allowing us to address the hypothesis that delivered dose provides a better predictor of toxicity than planned dose.

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