Verification imaging in prostate MR-only radiotherapy: Are fiducial markers necessary?

Purpose/objective: MR-only radiotherapy planning exploits the benefits of MRI soft-tissue delineation, whilst negating the registration inaccuracies caused by MRI CT fusion. Fiducial markers have conventionally been used in prostate radiotherapy to reduce on-treatment image matching variability. However, this is an invasive procedure for the patient, and presents technical difficulties in an MR-only pathway as fiducial markers are difficult to visualise on MRI.

Cardiac SABR: Image matching techniques for accurate treatment delivery.

Background: Ventricular tachycardia is an irregular heartbeat conventionally treated using invasive cardiac catheter ablation and medication. However, when standard treatments have been exhausted, cardiac SABR provides a final treatment option to this high-mortality condition. Complex diagnostic mapping and planning scans enable multi-disciplinary target delineation for a 25Gy single fraction.

From pelvic radiation to social isolation: a qualitative study of survivors' experiences of chronic bowel symptoms after pelvic radiotherapy.

Purpose: We explored survivors' experiences of chronic bowel symptoms following pelvic radiotherapy, strategies employed in living with these symptoms, effects on daily activities, and roles at home and in the workplace.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 individuals (10 gynaecological, 14 prostate, four anal/rectal cancer survivors) who had completed pelvic radiotherapy at least six months prior to data collection and who had experience of bowel symptoms during this post-treatment period. Reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken.

The first patients treated with MR-CBCT soft-tissue matching in a MR-only prostate radiotherapy pathway.

Introduction: Magnetic Resonance (MR)-only radiotherapy for prostate cancer has previously been reported using fiducial markers for on-treatment verification. MR-Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) soft-tissue matching does not require invasive fiducial markers and enables MR-only treatments to other pelvic cancers. This study evaluated the first clinical implementation of MR-only prostate radiotherapy using MR-CBCT soft-tissue matching.