Winter is over: The use of Artificial Intelligence to individualise radiation therapy for breast cancer

Breast. 2020 Feb:49:194-200. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2019.11.011. Epub 2019 Nov 26.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence demonstrated its value for automated contouring of organs at risk and target volumes as well as for auto-planning of radiation dose distributions in terms of saving time, increasing consistency, and improving dose-volumes parameters. Future developments include incorporating dose/outcome data to optimise dose distributions with optimal coverage of the high-risk areas, while at the same time limiting doses to low-risk areas. An infinite gradient of volumes and doses to deliver spatially-adjusted radiation can be generated, allowing to avoid unnecessary radiation to organs at risk. Therefore, data about patient-, tumour-, and treatment-related factors have to be combined with dose distributions and outcome-containing databases.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Auto-segmentation; Breast cancer; Deep learning; Neural network; Radiation therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Artificial Intelligence*
  • Breast Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Organs at Risk
  • Precision Medicine / methods*
  • Radiotherapy Dosage
  • Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / methods*