The technique is expected to speed up treatment preparation and reduce strain on overstretched medical staff.
If the tests continue to show strong results, the method could become a game changer in oncology departments where time and expertise are in increasingly short supply.
The innovation applies to Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a widely used method that delivers high doses of radiation to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
IMRT requires a detailed, personalized plan for each patient, prepared by a medical physicist and approved by an oncologist.
But with cancer cases on the rise and physicists in short supply, the time required to produce such plans is becoming a critical bottleneck in care.
Currently, hospital planning systems generate just one radiotherapy plan per cycle. If the oncologist requests changes, for medical or safety reasons, the plan must be revised and recalculated, extending delays.
"Medical physicists are highly trained specialists, and they are becoming increasingly scarce," said Prof. Ignacy Kaliszewski of the Polish Academy of Sciences' (PAN) Systems Research Institute, one of the project’s leaders.
The shortage of medical physicists, particularly in radiation oncology, is a pressing issue both in Poland and globally.
This scarcity is driven by a combination of factors, including an aging workforce, insufficient training capacity, and increasing demand for advanced cancer treatments.
The pathway to becoming a specialized medical physicist involves rigorous education and training.
The current output from medical universities nationwide is insufficient to meet the growing demand, especially considering the increasing incidence of cancer and the adoption of advanced radiotherapy techniques such as IMRT.
The shortage of medical physicists has tangible effects on cancer treatment services.
In the United States, for example, some cancer centers have reported difficulties in filling therapy physics positions, with vacancies remaining open for extended periods.
This situation can lead to delays in treatment planning and delivery, potentially affecting patient outcomes.
To solve this, scientists from the National Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, PAN's Systems Research Institute, and the University of Almería in Spain have created a method that generates several optimized radiation plans in a single planning cycle.
Each plan reflects different trade-offs, such as precision, risk to healthy organs, and treatment goals, allowing the oncologist to choose the most appropriate version without sending the plan back for revision.
"This approach gives the doctor a broader view of potential outcomes, including possible side effects, and enables faster decision-making, which is critical for the patient’s well-being," said Kaliszewski.
The method uses multi-criteria optimization, a computational technique that models complex problems by weighing different priorities, such as treatment effectiveness and risk of complications.
The final decision remains with the clinical team, but the tool drastically reduces the back-and-forth typically required.
Early tests have shown promising results, matching or surpassing the effectiveness of plans created by hospital systems.
The underlying research was published in the journal Informatica in January, demonstrating the method's ability to deliver high-quality coverage of tumor volumes while minimizing radiation to organs at risk.
The new planning method is currently being tested at the National Institute of Oncology’s Medical Physics Department in Warsaw, headed by Prof. Paweł Kukołowicz.
Clinical deployment is still pending.
The idea originated with Kaliszewski, whose institute specialises in applying mathematical and computational models to challenges in health, economics and social policy.
"When I called the National Institute of Oncology, they immediately said they were interested,” he recalled. "But it’s hard work to learn the language used by medical physicists. It also requires high computational power, which our partners in Almería provide."
The scarcity of medical physicists is a multifaceted problem with significant implications for cancer care.
Addressing this issue requires coordinated efforts to expand training programs, retain existing professionals, and adopt novel technological solutions that enhance efficiency in treatment planning and delivery.
(rt/gs)
Source: naukawpolsce.pl