Automatic segmentation for magnetic resonance imaging guided individual elective lymph node irradiation in head and neck cancer patients.

Background And Purpose: In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients, the radiation dose to nearby organs at risk can be reduced by restricting elective neck irradiation from lymph node levels to individual lymph nodes. However, manual delineation of every individual lymph node is time-consuming and error prone. Therefore, automatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) segmentation of individual lymph nodes was developed and tested using a convolutional neural network (CNN).

Improved delineation with diffusion weighted imaging for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal tumors validated with pathology.

Objective: This study aims to determine the added value of a geometrically accurate diffusion-weighted (DW-) MRI sequence on the accuracy of gross tumor volume (GTV) delineations, using pathological tumor delineations as a ground truth.

Methods: Sixteen patients with laryngeal or hypopharyngeal carcinoma were included. After total laryngectomy, the specimen was cut into slices.

Detectability and intra-fraction motion of individual elective lymph nodes in head and neck cancer patients on the Magnetic Resonance Image guided linear accelerator.

Background And Purpose: Individual elective lymph node irradiation instead of elective neck irradiation is a new concept for head-and-neck cancer (HNC) patients developed for the Magnetic Resonance Image guided linear accelerator (MR-linac). To prepare this, the detectability, volume changes and intra-fraction motion of elective lymph nodes on the MR-linac was assessed.

Materials And Methods: A total of 15 HNC patients underwent diagnostic pre-treatment MRI.

MRI visibility and displacement of elective lymph nodes during radiotherapy in head and neck cancer patients.

Background And Purpose: To decrease the impact of radiotherapy to healthy tissues in the head and neck region, we propose to restrict the elective neck irradiation to elective lymph nodes at risk of containing micro metastases instead of the larger lymph node volumes. To assess whether this new concept is achievable in the clinic, we determined the number, volume changes and displacement of elective lymph nodes during the course of radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: MRI scans of 10 head and neck cancer (HNC) patients were acquired before radiotherapy and in week 2, 3, 4 and 5 during radiotherapy.

Pioneer Arabidopsis thaliana spans the succession gradient revealing a diverse root-associated microbiome.

Background: Soil microbiomes are increasingly acknowledged to affect plant functioning. Research in molecular model species Arabidopsis thaliana has given detailed insights of such plant-microbiome interactions. However, the circumstances under which natural A.