Pixel perfect – Using Image Processing to Improve Outcomes for Cancer Patients

Radiation therapy is an extremely effective cancer treatment, and is used in the treatment of around 40% of patients who are cured of cancer. Modern radiotherapy systems can deliver treatment doses with exquisite precision to static and moving targets within the body. The challenge for oncologists is no longer one of precision, but rather the complexity of the imaging data that we must comprehend in order to deliver the best cancer therapy. In this lecture, I present examples of the way in which image processing, tumour biology, and radiation oncology have become highly interwoven fields of study. I will also illustrate some important outputs of research collaborations between Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Microsoft Research Labs Cambridge.