Publications by authors named "Kirsten van Gysen"
Purpose: Multiple survey results have identified a demand for improved motion management for liver cancer IGRT. Until now, real-time IGRT for liver has been the domain of dedicated and expensive cancer radiotherapy systems. The purpose of this study was to clinically implement and characterise the performance of a novel real-time 6 degree-of-freedom (DoF) IGRT system, Kilovoltage Intrafraction Monitoring (KIM) for liver SABR patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEfficacy of preoxygenation administration in volunteers, in extending the end-expiration breath-hold duration for application to abdominal radiotherapy.
Tech Innov Patient Support Radiat Oncol
June 2023
Background And Purpose: End expiration breath hold (EEBH) is the preferred motion management method for abdominal Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) treatments. However, multiple short EEBHs are required to complete a single treatment session. The study aimed to determine the efficacy of preoxygenation with hyperventilation in extending an EEBH duration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates how knowledge-based planning (KBP) can improve the quality of radiotherapy for post-prostatectomy patients in clinical trials, ensuring better outcomes.* -
- By analyzing 30 radiation treatment plans, KBP was shown to consistently meet all dose constraints (100%) compared to traditional treatment plans (69%), and it significantly reduced radiation exposure to critical organs.* -
- The findings indicate that KBP enhances the consistency and quality of radiotherapy plans, making it a valuable tool for quality assurance in clinical trials, ultimately aiding in better patient safety and treatment effectiveness.*
Introduction: Aimed to develop a simple and robust volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy (VMAT) solution for comprehensive lymph node (CLN) breast cancer without increase in low-dose wash.
Methods: Forty CLN-breast patient data sets were utilised to develop a knowledge-based planning (KBP) VMAT model, which limits low-dose wash using iterative learning and base-tangential methods as benchmark. Another twenty data sets were employed to validate the model comparing KBP-generated ipsilateral VMAT (ipsi-VMAT) plans against the benchmarked hybrid (h)-VMAT (departmental standard) and bowtie-VMAT (published best practice) methods.
Article Synopsis
- RapidPlan (RP) is a knowledge-based planning system designed to enhance the quality and efficiency of radiotherapy planning, although its implementation does pose challenges in model training and departmental integration.
- A review of a 7-month period showed RP created clinically acceptable plans for 87.2% of eligible patients, with some models achieving success rates over 90% and a significant reduction in planning time—up to 95% faster than manual planning.
- Ultimately, despite a demanding initial setup, RP has proved to be an effective tool in clinical practice, delivering comparable or better plan quality and remarkable efficiency improvements.
Introduction: Differences in knowledge and experience, patient anatomy and tumour location and manipulation of inverse planning objectives and priorities will lead to a variability in the quality of radiation planning. The aim of this study was to investigate whether parotid glands should be treated as separate or combined structures when using knowledge-based planning (KBP) to create oropharyngeal plans, based on the dose they receive.
Method: Two separate RapidPlan (RP) models were created using the same 70 radical oropharyngeal patients.
Background: To compare outcomes of high-risk human papilloma virus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV OPSCC) treated with modern radiation treatment (RT) and daily image-guidance, staged with the 7 versus the 8 Edition (Ed) Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)/American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging systems.
Methods: All eligible patients with HPV OPSCC treated definitively over a 10-year period (2007-2016) at a single institution were included. Protocols consisting of either RT or chemo-radiation (CRT) (weekly cisplatin or cetuximab) +/- neoadjuvant chemotherapy for those with bulky disease were used.
Article Synopsis
- Clear cell carcinoma is the most prevalent type of renal cell carcinoma, often showing poor response to conventional treatments and leading to a grim outlook for patients.
- New systemic agents have enhanced treatment outcomes, and their combination with radiation therapy may offer new options for patient care.
- A case study is presented where a patient experienced significant improvement after low-dose palliative radiation therapy, even after failing targeted and immunotherapy treatments.
Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of injecting a temporary spacer between the rectum and the prostate and to quantify the degree of rectal dosimetric improvement that might result.
Methods: Ten patients underwent CT and MRI before and after injection of 10 cc of hydrogel and at completion of radiotherapy. Hydrogel was injected under general anaesthetic using a transperineal approach.
Introduction: Post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (PPRT) with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has the potential to decrease toxicity by reducing dose to surrounding structures. We assessed its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
Methods: PPRT patients were enrolled in a prospective HRQoL database.