Virtual Press Room
Hot Topics
Please contact Bonnie Culbertson at PCI (312-558-1770 ext 103) for all media inquiries and to learn more about the teleconference that will be scheduled before the meeting. Please note that certain abstracts are embargoed until presentation date.
 Image courtesy of Dr. Di Zhang, UCLA School of Medicine |
Dose Reduction in Computed Tomography (CT)
A major emphasis on the measurement and reduction of radiation dose in CT imaging is underway throughout the field of medical physics. Activities include: image quality studies for low-dose imaging protocols; novel image reconstruction methods to provide improved image quality at low dose; patient-size-specific low-dose protocols, including pediatric imaging; new standards for dose measurement and reporting; and the development of appropriateness criteria in clinical CT utilization. See, for example:
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 Image courtesy of Dr. R. Jeraj, University of Wisconsin |
Imaging of Therapy Response
Key to understanding the nature of cancer and the effectiveness of cancer therapy is a better understanding of the biological, physiological, biochemical, and genotypic factors governing therapy response. For example, why does a certain course of radiotherapy succeed in one patient yet fail in another patient with the same stage and class of tumor? This major question is likely to form a central theme in the coming decade of cancer research, with multi-disciplinary research in medical physics shedding light on the complexities of radiation response in normal and cancerous tissue. See, for example:
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 Images courtesy of Elekta Inc. |
Patient Safety in Radiation Therapy
Cutting-edge methods and devices promise to enhance, quantify, and/or monitor the safe delivery of radiation in therapeutic medicine, with emphasis on innovative science and engineering for patient safety. The importance of such work is evident in recent accidents involving radiation in both the diagnostic and radiation therapy sectors. As an area of innovative scientific research, a considerable effort within the medical physics community is underway beyond basic quality control standards in radiation safety and training to identify new avenues for assuring patient safety. See, for example: |
Top Newsworthy Presentations
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Check this space for upcoming news:
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| RADIATION THERAPY PHYSICS | |
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Title: 3D In-Patient Dose Reconstruction From the PET-CT Imaging of Y-90 Microspheres for Metastatic Cancer to the Liver Session: WE-A-BRB Brachytherapy Presenting Author: Eugene Fourkal Byline: E Fourkal*, I Veltchev, S Koren, M Lin, C Ma, J Meyer, M Doss, M Yu, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA |
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Title: Dosimetric Analysis of Inverse-Planned Modulated-Arc Total-Body Irradiation Session: TH-C-BRB Treatment Delivery and Verification: Intensity-Modulated Techniques Presenting Author: Mareike Held Byline: M Held*, N Kirby, O Morin, J Pouliot, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA |
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Title: BEST IN PHYSICS (THERAPY) - Combined Effects of Pulsed Non-Thermal Focused Ultrasound and Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer Treatment Session: TU-C-BRB Basic Radiation Biology and Animal Studies Presenting Author: Xiaoming Chen Byline: X Chen1, D Cvetkovic1, J Xue1,2, L Chen1, C-M Ma1, (1)Radiation Oncology Department, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, (2)Cancer Center of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China |
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Title: Comparison of Proton Therapy Institutional Data Collected by the RPC Session: MO-D-BRB Dosimetry: Safety Procedures Presenting Author: Paige Summers Byline:P Summers*, G Ibbott, M Moyers, R Grant, D Followill, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
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Title: BEST IN PHYSICS (THERAPY) - A Novel Multi-Point Plastic Scintillation Detector for in Vivo Dosimetry and Quality Assurance in Radiation Therapy Session: WE-G-BRB On-line Devices and Detectors for Dosimetry Presenting Author: Francois Therriault-Proulx Byline: F Therriault-Proulx1,2*, L Beaulieu2,3, L Archambault2,3, S Beddar1, (1) University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, (2) Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d'Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec,QC, (3) Centre Hospitalier Univ. de Quebec, Quebec, QC |
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Title: BEST IN PHYSICS (THERAPY) - A Real Time Dose Monitoring and Dose Reconstruction Tool for Patient Specific VMAT QA and Delivery Session: MO-D-BRB Dosimetry: Safety Procedures Presenting Author: Kai Yang Byline: K Yang*, D Gersten, D Yan, N Tyagi, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI |
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Title: Correlating Areas of Radiation Toxicity with Relative Biological Effectiveness-Weighted Dose Distributions in Proton Radiotherapy Session: TH-C-213AB Biological Modeling and Outcome Modeling/Assessment Presenting Author: Christopher Peeler Byline: C Peeler1,2*, D Mirkovic2, D Grosshans2, U Titt2, R Mohan2, (1) The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, TX, (2) The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
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Title: JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR WINNER - Fast and Accurate Patient Specific Collision Detection For Radiation Therapy Session: MO-D-BRB Dosimetry: Safety Procedures Presenting Author: Rex Cardan Byline: R Cardan1*, R Popple2, J Duan3, S Shen4, X Wu5, I Brezovich6, (1) UAB University of Alabama, Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, (2) Univ Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, (3) Univ Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, (4) Univ Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, (5) Univ Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, (6) Univ Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL |
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Title: Mean Regional Dose to the Esophagus Predicts Acute Toxicity Rate for Lung Cancer Patients Session: SU-F-BRCD Young Investigator Symposium Presenting Author: Shane Krafft Byline: S Krafft*, S Tucker, Z Liao, L Court, D Gomez, M Martel, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX |
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Title: TG-51 Calibration of First Commercial MRI-Guided IMRT System in the Presence of 0.35 Tesla Magnetic Field Session: WE-G-BRB On-line Devices and Detectors for Dosimetry Presenting Author: SreeKrishna Murty Goddu Byline: S Goddu*, O Pechenaya Green, S Mutic, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO |
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Title: Nanoscaffold-Enhanced Proton Therapy Session: TU-C-BRB Basic Radiation Biology and Animal Studies Presenting Author: Lawrence Bronk Byline: L Bronk1*, J Polf2, W Driessen1, M Gillin1, W Arap1, R Pasqualini1, (1) UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, (2) Oklahoma State University, STILLWATER, OK |
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Title: Knowledge-Based Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) Treatment Planning for Prostate Cancer Session: WE-G-BRCD Treatment Planning for External Beam Therapy Presenting Author: Deon Dick Byline: D Dick*, S Das, J Lo, Duke Univ Medical Center, Durham, NC |
| IMAGING FOR THERAPY GUIDANCE | |
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Title: BEST IN PHYSICS (JOINT IMAGING-THERAPY) - Modeling Pathologic Response of Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer to Chemoradiotherapy Using Spatial-Temporal FDG-PET Features, Clinical Parameters and Demographics Session: WE-C-BRA The John S. Laughlin - Science Council Research Symposium Presenting Author: Hao Zhang Byline: H Zhang1*, S Tan2, W Chen1, S Kligerman1, G Kim1, W DSouza1, M Suntharalingam1, W Lu1, (1) University of Maryland School of Medicine, BALTIMORE, MD, (2) Huazhong University of Science and Technology |
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Title: Physiological Imaging-Defined Response-Driven Subvolumes of a Tumor Session: WE-C-BRA The John S. Laughlin - Science Council Research Symposium Presenting Author: Reza Farjam Byline: R Farjam*, C Tsien, F Feng, D Gomez-Hassan, J Hayman, T Lawrence, Y Cao, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI |
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Title: The Effects of Radiation Therapy On White Matter Fiber Tracts of the Limbic Circuit Session: WE-A-217A Therapy Assessment Presenting Author: Mohammad-Reza Nazem-Zadeh Byline: M Nazem-Zadeh*, C Chapman, T Lawrence, C Tsien, Y Cao, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI |
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Title: The Impact of Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) Variability On the Assessment of Treatment Response in Head-And-Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy Session: WE-A-217A Therapy Assessment Presenting Author: Shiva Das Byline: S Das1*, J Hoang2, K Roy Choudhury2, D Yoo1, D Brizel1, (1) Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Duke Univ Medical Center, Durham, NC (2) Dept. of Radiology, Duke Univ Medical Center, Durham, NC |
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Title: BEST IN PHYSICS (JOINT IMAGING-THERAPY) - Assessment of Radiation-Induced White Matter Injury in Sub-Structures of Normal-Appearing Brainstem Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging Session: WE-C-BRA The John S. Laughlin - Science Council Research Symposium Presenting Author: Jinsoo Uh Byline: J Uh*, T Merchant, R Ogg, C Hua, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee |
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Title: Motion Adaptive Rotational Intensity Modulated Radio Therapy (MA-RIMRT) with Image Guidance Session: TU-G-BRA Motion Assessment and Management: Novel Modalities Presenting Author: Ajay Paidi Byline: A Paidi*, F Neacsu, W Aguilar, S Bose, A Bani-Hashemi, J Maltz, Siemens Medical Solutions |
| DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING PHYSICS | |
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News Release!Imaging Implants : Research Shows New CT Technique Provides Higher Quality Images of Joint Replacements |
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News Release!Measuring Breast Density : Spectral Mammography: Like Going From Black and White to Color |
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Title: BEST IN PHYSICS (IMAGING) - Evaluation of Apoptosis and Proliferation in Non-Thermal Pulsed HIFU Treated Mouse Prostate Tumors Session: TH-C-217BCD Advanced Imaging Applications and Contrast Agents in Ultrasound Imaging Presenting Author: Dusica Cvetkovic Byline: D Cvetkovic*, X Chen, C Ma, L Chen, Fox Chase Cancer Center, PHILADELPHIA, PA |
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Title: Development of Graphic Patient Models for a Real-Time Skin Dose Tracking System (DTS) for Fluoroscopic Interventional Procedures Session: SU-E-I Imaging General Poster Discussion Presenting Author: Vijay Rana Byline: V Rana1*, D Bednarek2, J Wu1, S Rudin2, (1) Univ. at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NY, (2) Univ. at Buffalo (SUNY) School of Med., Buffalo, NY |
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Title: Defining Performance-Based, Size-Specific, Optimized Protocols for Pediatric CT Session: TH-E-217BCD CT Image Quality Presenting Author: Xiang Li Byline: X Li1*, E Samei1, J Solomon1, D Frush1, (1) Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC |
News Releases
- Imaging Implants : Research Shows New CT Technique Provides Higher Quality Images of Joint Replacements
May Reduce Radiation Exposure - Measuring Breast Density : Spectral Mammography: Like Going From Black and White to Color
New Method Measures Breast Density, Can Help Determine Cancer Risk Research Suggests
Featured Interviews
Trends and Hot Topics in Medical Physics
Dr. Gary Ezzell, president of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), talks about current trends in medical physics, particularly the melding of imaging and radiation therapy to guide treatment. He also recaps some of the hot topics discussed at this year’s annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., and AAPM’s key initiatives for the coming year.
Iterative Technique to Eliminate Artifacts from Implants
Dr. Web Stayman of Johns Hopkins University presents an overview of research he presented at the 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C. It involves an iterative technique for computed tomography (CT) to better contend with implants to improve image-guided surgery or interventions. The technique takes knowledge about the components and integrates it into the reconstruction to eliminate artifacts.
A New Technique Utilizes Spectral Mammography to Measure Breast Density
Dr. Sabee Molloi from the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, worked with a team on a study using spectral mammography to develop a quantitative technique to measure volumetric breast density. Their technique also enables a lower dose to be used for a screening mammogram. Two members of the team, Justin Ducote and Huanjun Ding, describe the research, which they presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
AAPM gratefully acknowledges the cooperation of ITN in conducting these interviews and making them available here and on their website.