PhD Defence T.Z. (Thyrza) Jagt

In my project I developed algorithms to adapt a proton therapy irradiation plan automatically and rapidly to the patient anatomy of the day. This saves healthy tissue better, which is expected to lead to fewer side effects. Proton therapy is a form of radiotherapy in which the patient is irradiated with protons in daily sessions. The energy of a proton beam can be adjusted so that the beam stops in the tumor and delivers most dose there. However, the location where the beam stops is very sensitive to daily changes in the patient. Consider, for example, variations in the filling of the intestines and movement of the prostate and lymph nodes. Rather than irradiating a larger area to account for these variations, the results of this study can limit the irradiated area to practically the tumor only. These methods will be implemented in the Holland Proton Therapy Center (HollandPTC) in the coming years.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall of the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defens their dissertation either in a small group or online.