PhD defence V.J. (Victor) Brand

Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. While radiotherapy is an effective treatment, surrounding healthy tissues may also receive radiation, potentially causing side effects. This thesis investigates two approaches to further personalize prostate cancer radiotherapy: shortening treatment courses for high-risk patients and reducing treatment-related side effects for low-risk patients.
For patients requiring irradiation of both the prostate and the entire seminal vesicles, treatment is challenging because the seminal vesicles move unpredictably. As a result, larger safety margins are needed, limiting the feasibility of ultra-short, high-dose treatment schedules. This research demonstrates that daily treatment plan adaptation, combined with real-time prostate tracking, can reduce these margins from 8 to 5 millimetres while maintaining treatment quality. These findings represent an important step toward shorter, more convenient radiotherapy treatments.
The second part of the thesis focused on sparing the neurovascular bundles, small nerve and blood vessel structures involved in erectile function. The studies showed that radiation dose to these structures can be reduced without compromising radiation delivery to the prostate. Although it remains to be proven whether this approach ultimately reduces the risk of erectile dysfunction, the results provide a strong foundation for future clinical research.
Overall, this thesis demonstrates how advanced radiotherapy techniques may improve the personalization of prostate cancer treatment by enabling more precise treatment delivery while striving to maintain patients’ quality of life.