Quantitative MR imaging biomarkers for toxicity prediction in prostate cancer

• Applicants: Privatdozent Dr. Arndt-Christian Müller; Professor Dr. Ahmed Othman
• Subject Area: Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, Radiobiology ; Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 437991855

This project using the hybrid 1.5 T MR-Linac system is based on the hypothesis that online adaptive MR-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) in prostate cancer will provide novel quantitative imaging biomarkers for prediction of genitourinary toxicity including MR-based radiation dose accumulation in critical anatomical substructures (urethra, trigonum, penile bulb and more) as well as their structural and functional changes during fractionated RT. Therefore, two fractionated regimens (60 Gy/ 20 fx and 78 Gy/ 39 fx) are examined within prospective phase II studies (Mbase Pro, Mbase HyPro) at the MR-Linac. The expected results will form the basis for future biologically individualized MRgRT interventions such as individual dose and fractionation prescription in prostate cancer. For this project MR sequences for structural and functional quantitative MRI (qMRI) at the 1.5 T MR-Linac of prostate cancer before and during fractionated RT will be optimized and validated. MR signal changes during fractionated RT in anatomical genitourinary substructures will be described and associated with toxicity and accumulated radiation dose in those substructures with the aim to generate new toxicity prediction models for individualized RT.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants