Software to Compensate for Interruptions in Radiotherapy

Typically, cancer radiation therapy lasts more than a month, and unplanned treatmentinterruptions occur for about half of all patients. Tumors and surrounding normal tissues are affecteddifferently by such interruptions, due to differences in growth rates and in cellular repair capabilities.Consequently, optimally compensating for interruptions requires estimates based on cellular radiobiology.Currently accepted state-of-the-art techniques in radiobiology will be used as a basis for designing andwriting readily usable software, for a personal computer or a Macintosh, which makes available to theradiation oncologist a variety of compensation options for unplanned interruptions. The software willalso indicate possible drawbacks of each option. The programs will be simple enough that at least oneprofessional at each radiation oncology facility will be able to use them interactively, with a thoroughunderstanding of their implications. Preliminary studies on the feasibility of integrating radiobiologicalconcepts into full-scale treatment-planning computer codes will also be carried out.