Image Guided Cancer Therapy Training Program

Imaging is a critical component in the detection, characterization and treatment of cancer. The rich
information content of advanced imaging methods, combined with the growing capacity to collect
multiple types of images from various sources and time points during therapy creates an exciting
opportunity for image-based guidance and assessment of interventions for radiation oncology, surgery,
and interventional radiology. In addition, the development of novel treatment techniques, including
radiation, minimally invasive surgery or targeted ablation, requires an accurate assessment of the
treatment results for personalized medicine. The ability to personalize treatment is critically dependent
on our ability to precisely measure and relate the delivered treatment with the corresponding outcome.
Quantitative assessment of therapeutic response through anatomical, functional, and metabolic
imaging has been identified by the NIH has a critical component in the advancement of local therapies.
Consistent longitudinal acquisition, correlation, and evaluation of these quantitative imaging biomarkers
across multiple therapies has the potential to improve the local control and reduce toxicities, ultimately
leading to improved patient outcomes through better cancer control and quality of life. These exciting
advances has led MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop an Image Guided Cancer Therapy Research
Program, which is empowering multidisciplinary teams of scientists and physicians to address clinical
challenges and technology barriers. The goal of this training program is to provide multi-disciplinary
research training for tomorrow’s pioneering leaders in image guided cancer therapy, including surgery,
interventional and diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, and correlative pathology, using advanced
imaging, navigation, and analysis techniques. This training program is unique in that it trains, within a
single program, both scientists and clinician scientists working in image guided cancer therapy in all
three focal therapy disciplines of surgery, radiation oncology, and interventional radiology.

Grant Number: 5T32CA261856-05
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Kristy Brock