Selena carried out her master’s research at the Department of Radiotherapy at Amsterdam UMC. “Patients with brain tumors regularly receive a brain scan to monitor the development of the tumor. Before treatment, we make an MRI scan, which, together with the planned dose of radiotherapy, is entered into the AI model. The model then predicts how the brains of patients with a brain tumor change after radiotherapy,” Selena explains.

In a figure, Selena shows how the AI model works. “You see the MRI scan from before the radiotherapy and the planned dose of radiotherapy. Based on this data, the model creates images that show how the brain changes over time after treatment with radiotherapy, for example after half a year or a year.”

Simulating a treatment with AI

“The ultimate goal is to be able to simulate radiotherapy treatment for a patient. The idea is that the doctor can adjust the dose of radiotherapy before the treatment, because he can immediately see how the brain will react after a year. But before this is truly possible, the technology still needs to be improved. And even when the model is finished, it will still take a few years to implement and validate it.”

Selena recently completed her master’s and has now started a PhD on the same subject. “I am working hard to improve this technology and to make as many predictions as possible as accurate as possible. I receive a lot of support from the Department of Radiotherapy. There is a lot of interest in AI applications at Radiotherapy. Students are very welcome to do their bachelor’s or master’s thesis here,” says Selena enthusiastically.

Interested? Email: RTHinternships@amsterdamumc.nlExternal link