| Local control of advanced tumors in the head and neck (H&N) region is a major challenge and the side-effects, related to the currently standard radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (ChT), are severe. For many tumor sites, the effectiveness of RT and ChT is significantly enhanced when combined with hyperthermia (HT). Recently, a novel HT applicator was developed for precise HT treatment of H&N tumors using electromagnetic (EM) fields. Simultaneously, EM based HT treatment planning (HTP) has been developed to exploit the specific heat-focusing capabilities of the novel applicator. HTP is a two-step process that involves computation of the 3D power absorption and temperature distributions using two models: an EM and a thermal computer model. 3D anatomical patient models, usually segmented from Computed Tomography (CT) scans, are used as input for the HTP to calculate the EM fields corresponding to the optimal power distribution. To calculate and/or optimize the temperature distribution from the power absorption, various thermal models have been developed. Both models, however, are either non-specific or require the labour-intensive outlining of image data. Currently, the clinical use of patient specific EM and thermal models is severely hampered by the manual component of the model generation. The aim of the project is to facilitate accurate and efficient model generation for developing patient-specific EM and thermal HTP for H&N patients. Specific goals of the project are: 1. Develop, validate and clinically integrate tools for the fast and accurate generation of patient specific EM models. 2. Develop and validate tools for the computation and integration of thermal tissue characteristics in patient-specific thermal models. |
