Radiotherapy Treatment Analysis Project

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Evaluation of radiobiology based research methodologies for improved analysis and prediction of radiotherapy treatment outcomes

• IRAS ID

  159143

• Contact name

  Colin Baker

• Sponsor organisation

  Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  5 years, 3 months, 17 days

• Research summary

  Radiotherapy is the main treatment for cancer patients who are not suitable for surgery, and in certain cases can be superior to it due to fewer side-effects; today approximately 50% of all patients receive radiotherapy. In planning radiotherapy, the aim is to deliver sufficient radiation dose to the cancer to kill all the tumour cells, at the same time causing minimal side-effects to surrounding normal tissue, such as difficulty in breathing following lung cancer radiotherapy or a difficulty in passing urine following radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

  Mathematical models have been developed that predict the likelihood of eradicating the cancer and the risk of causing side-effects. These models are based on the distribution of radiation dose within the cancer and normal tissues, which are calculated when planning treatment, together with the outcome of previous treatments (whether the cancer was eradicated and whether the patient experienced any side effects). A large number of previous treatments need to be considered to develop and assess models that can then accurately predict the outcome for new patients.

  This project aims to apply and develop these models to assess current radiotherapy planning methods and develop new treatment planning strategies to improve treatment outcomes for future radiotherapy patients. In order to do this a large amount of data on past treatments is required, consisting of distributions of radiation dose calculated at treatment planning and, where available, the outcome of treatment for individual patients.

• REC name

  North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  14/NW/1345

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Nov 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion