Optimal Fractionation in Radiotherapy

A comprehensive, mathematically rigorous treatment of the topic, supplemented by clinical insights from numerical experiments using computer code.

Archis Ghate (Author)

9781009341134, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 October 2023

168 pages, 35 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.4 cm, 0.39 kg

'This text provides a unifying mathematical framework for the fractionation decision in radiotherapy. It offers a rich blend of mathematical analysis, numerical examples, codes, exercises, and bibliographic notes for an in-depth understanding and implementation of the concepts discussed. The book presents a fresh perspective to the long-standing fractionation debate in the field of radiotherapy and can inspire the design of new clinical trials to improve treatment efficacy for cancer patients.' Ehsan Salari, Wichita State University

This monograph provides a mathematically rigorous overview of optimal fractionation in cancer radiotherapy, which seeks to address the fundamental tradeoff of maximizing tumor-kill while protecting nearby healthy tissue from toxic effects. Most mathematical research on exact solutions to this problem is scattered across journals in applied mathematics, operations research, radiobiology, medicine, and medical physics. These works rarely include rigorous proofs or detailed derivations of their methodologies. Moreover, computer programs utilized for conducting numerical experiments seldom accompany these publications, thereby jeopardizing reproducibility. This monograph aims to provide a comprehensive pedagogical reference that brings researchers up to speed on optimal fractionation, utilizing and illustrating analytical techniques from linear algebra, calculus, linear programming, quadratic and nonlinear programming, robust optimization, and inverse optimization. Its purpose is to help readers understand the mathematics behind the optimal fractionation problem, empowering them to contribute original work to this field.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Fractionation with a single organ-at-risk
3. Fractionation with multiple organs-at-risk
4. Robust fractionation
5. Inverse fractionation
6. Spatiotemporally integrated fractionation
7. Robust spatiotemporally integrated fractionation
8. Fractionation with two modalities
9. Robust fractionation with two modalities
10. Directions for future work
Appendix Background on optimization
Bibliography Index.

Subject Areas: Optimization [PBU]