SRP-Onderzoekszwaartepunt: Societal Benefit of Markerless Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy: a Statistical Support based on Quantitative Imaging

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) delivers an ablative dose of radiation to tumours, with high precision. This technique offers an alternative to surgery for lung and liver lesions. The movement of these tumours represents a clinical problem and a technological challenge. The UZ Brussel of the VUB developed with the support of the Hercules foundation (grant for heavy research infrastructure) in collaboration with Brainlab AG a breathing-synchronized radiation technique on the VERO SBRT system, where the radiation beam follows the moving target (dynamic tumour tracking). The implantation of a marker in the tumour is thereby mandatory for its visualization. The proposed research program goes a step further and aims at developing “Markerless tracking”. The technical developments and implementations will be performed in collaboration with Brainlab AG for lung tumors and with Varian Medical Systems for liver lesions. In addition, we will develop a predictive model based on quantitative imaging techniques (e.g. radiomics) and clinical-immunological parameters, to prescribe a patient-individualized radiation dose. These developments will make SBRT available to a broader patient population and will improve its efficiency. A societal and health economical evaluation will be performed during the clinical trials.