The Core will provide quantitative image processing and analysis support for the four research projects and other cores. A common theme that spans all the research projects is the use of anatomic and functional data derived from imaging studies acquired before and during therapy to better individualize patient treatments and to adapt to changes observed during the course of therapy. Projects will rely on data from anatomic and functional imaging studies to set initial criteria for plan optimization and for re-optimization during the treatment course using updated information and estimates of delivered dose; use in-room volumetric imaging during and between treatments to update decisions about patient positioning and immobilization over the course of therapy;acquire and analyze image data to help predict tumor response early in the treatment course;and use image data to help quantify normal tissue function both prior to and during therapy to individualize the estimation of risk. The Core will provide the image processing and analysis in the different projects as they rely on manual and automated image segmentation and data reduction, rigid and deformable registration and integration of multimodality and time-series image data and accumulated dose distributions, and multi-parameter estimation and statistical analysis. While some of these tasks can be automated, some are labor intensive or involve manual initialization. The core will perform the necessary automated processing and analysis, and will perform the manual assessments and validation for these tasks, using robust and efficient visualization tools. In addition to standard processing and analysis tasks, the core will provide ongoing development, implementation and validation of new and novel techniques to handle the complex set of image, dose, and functional information that the projects will acquire and produce, and it will provide the robust storage and retrieval infrastructure required for the program project.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 289 publications
