DEVELOPMENT OF A MINIBEAM DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A RADIATION THERAPY RESEARCH PLATFORM
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Spatially fractionated radiation therapy (SFRT) utilizes multiple radiation beams to
combine areas of low and high dose within the treatment volume. Organ at risk (OAR)
tolerance with SFRT is greater than traditional techniques, with increasing benefits as the
beam size decreases. Minibeam radiation therapy (MBRT) is a form of SFRT with beam
sizes on the order of 1 mm, which is achievable utilizing conventional treatment techniques,
but MBRT has only recently been used in the treatment of humans.
The primary objectives of this work are to develop a system to deliver minibeam radiation
therapy (MBRT) using a commercially available small animal research radiation
therapy platform, perform cell survival studies comparing the survival of cells irradiated
with both MBRT and broad beam (BB) dose delivery, and complete an in vivo treatment
planning study to determine the dosimetric differences of different MBRT treatment delivery
techniques.
Most work in SFRT has focused on larger beams that provide limited benefits or very
small beams that are too impractical for clinical use. SFRT is an area of active research
with growing clinical applications and interest. This work aims to lay the groundwork for
future small animal studies and inform the development of future clinical trials in humans.
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