Unmet Need
In the United States, head and neck cancer represents 3% of all cancers, with approximately 66,000 individuals developing head and neck cancer annually (see uptodate.com). In the cases of localized head and neck cancer, radiation therapy provides improved outcome over surgery and is a preferred method of treatment. The success of radiation therapy relies on careful radiation planning that is highly dependent on skills, experience, and the anatomic knowledge of the radiation oncologist. A challenge therefore across radiation oncologists of varying expertise levels and hospitals, is the successful delivery of equal radiation planning and treatment. Therefore, a technology that can serve as an assurance platform for radiation oncologists of all expertise levels may improve accuracy of radiation planning and improve patient outcomes.
Technology Overview
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have conceptualized the development of a novel quality assurance software capable of guiding radiation oncologists during radiation planning. This invention employs an atlas of anatomic structures that define a “cancer footprint” and general regions that should be included within a patients’ specific radiation treatment plan.
Stage of Development
Conceptual stage.
Publication
N/A
