Learning based control in MR-guided hyperthermia for 3D adaptive therapy (Learn 2 act)

Cancer is the number one cause of death in the Netherlands and in surviving patient the burden of toxicity after conventional treatments is severe. As a result, there is a strong need to improve the effectiveness of current cancer treatments. Hyperthermia (HT) therapies have the potential to be a major contributor to fulfilling this need as several clinical studies have shown that creating HT by heating of tumors to a temperature of 43°C significantly enhances the therapeutic efficacy of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy without adding extra toxicity to healthy tissue. In Learn-2-Act, we will develop learning-based control methods using MR-temperature maps to heat tissue accurately, fast and non-invasively. This enables more patients getting access to hyperthermia treatments translating in higher cure probabilities, shorter treatment times and lower toxicity levels.

'BNR Nieuws' broadcasted an interview related to this project: "giving tumors a fever with an algorithm", an interview with Daniel Deenen, from the department of Mechanical Engineering. Click the button below to listen to it.