The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute is dedicated to improving patient care and outcomes through research. Find a Clinical Trial at The James
Clinical trials in Radiation Medicine (Principal Investigator: John Grecula, MD)
Radiation therapy is part of many clinical trials available at the OSUCCC–James. The OSUCCC–James clinical trials are funded by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Radiation Medicine Research Programs
The goal of the OSUCCC–James Radiation Medicine research program is to translate new radiation oncology discoveries into new treatment techniques, and develop new radiation oncology instrumentation from the research bench into patient care.
The amount of radiation (dose), which can be safely given to treat a tumor, is frequently determined by the tolerance of the surrounding normal tissues rather than by the dose actually necessary to destroy the tumor. However, rapid progress in tumor delineation through tumor imaging and high-precision radiation therapy delivery methods are changing this paradigm, offering new hope for better outcomes. The advances in new functional and molecular tumor imaging, tumor delineation and targeting capabilities, combined with high-precision radiation therapy delivery technologies, are poised to improve the therapeutic ratio by allowing design of intensified dose schedules for improved cancer control while reducing treatment toxicity.
To explore these techniques and translate them to patient care is our research goal.
The department's research programs are focused on:
- New techniques of tumor imaging and targeting
- New delivery methods and modalities
- Treatment outcome prediction, response modeling and design of optimal personalized radiation therapy schedules and techniques for the individual patient
Just a few examples are given below:
Program: New techniques of tumor imaging and targeting
1. Cervical Cancer – Predictive Assay by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PI: Nina Mayr, MD)
This project uses the Dynamic-Contrast Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) technique to evaluate the volume regression during radiation therapy and microvascular structure and function of cervical cancer. The study explores its use for tumor imaging and as an early predictor in therapy outcomes with the goal to create personalized therapy strategies for cervical cancer patients.
2. Lymph Nodal Atlas Project (PI: Nilendu Gupta, PhD)
To facilitate the delineation of treatment targets, such as lymph nodes, an Interactive Cross-Sectional Nodal Atlas was created as a computer platform independent CD-ROM. This project is being expanded to include Lymph Nodal Involvement Probabilities (NIP), allowing the users to determine target regions based on a probabilistic approach.
Program: New delivery methods and modalities
3. Designing Hypofractionation Regimens for Stereotactic Radiotherapy (HSRT) of Large Brain Tumor (PI: Jian Wang, PhD) HSRT combines the advantage of highly conformal dose delivery, similar to the Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery, and the biological advantage of fractionated radiotherapy. However, few guidelines of dose fractionation schedules are available for HSRT. This project investigates equivalent HSRT regimens for brain tumor treatment based on the clinical experience of ranging from single-fraction (i.e. single treatment) stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife) to fractionated radiotherapy using multiple treatments. The goal is to provide dose-escalation guidance to maximize the tumor control within the normal brain tolerance.
4. Peripheral Irradiation of Large Brain Tumors Using Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Better Sparing of Normal Brain Tissue (PI: Jian Wang, PhD, Joseph Montebello, MD) This project explores novel treatment planning strategies in Gamma Knife radiosurgery that can overcome usual tumor size limitations of Gamma Knife radiosurgery. This work evaluates the benefit of this newly developed treatment planning methodology in reducing radiation dose to normal brain tissue, while maximizing radiation dose to the tumor target.
5. Robotic Table for Total Body Irradiation (TBI) Treatment (PI: Joseph Montebello, MD, Jian Wang, PhD) This research developed a patented TBI treatment table that promises to significantly improve speed, accuracy and comfort of blood and marrow transplant patients receiving TBI treatment.
6. Novel Tandem Colpostat Intracavitary Implant Applicator for Gynecologic Cancer (PI: Joseph Montebello, MD) This research developed a patented new brachytherapy applicator to optimize radiation dose distribution for patients during brachytherapy (implant radiation) for gynecologic tumors. This new device may greatly reduce the radiation dose to nearby normal tissues, and thus reduce the chance of complications from therapy.
7. Monte Carlo Simulated Grid Therapy Study (PI: Hualin Zhang, PhD) Grid therapy has shown therapeutic advantage in melanoma and cervical cancer cells. This project investigates the dosimetric characteristics of diverse megavoltage grid radiotherapy, and applies the 3D-dose distributions to all types of cancers with radio-responsiveness models, to provide the recommendations of optimal modalities regarding the size of grids, dose and number of treatments for individual cancers.
8. Multiple-Variable Optimization of Radiotherapy Planning (PI: Kaile Li, PhD) In multi-leaf collimator (MLC)-based stereotactic radiosurgery and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), high resolution and fast delivery are two important factors. This project develops a new algorithm for an optimal radiation therapy delivery approach and explores its application into the clinical environment.
Program: Outcome prediction, response modeling and personalized therapy design
9. Towards Optimal Radiation Therapy: Radiobiological Modeling of Prostate Cancer (PI: Jian Wang, PhD) This project aims to find the best treatment strategy for prostate cancer radiation therapy. This new radiobiological tumor response modeling, which is published in more than 20 articles by Wang, provides the most consistent interpretation of clinical outcome data in prostate cancer. The model is used to develop new dose schedules for national/international clinical trials.
10. Monte Carlo Simulated Brachytherapy Seed Implantation (PI: Hualin Zhang, PhD) This project explores user-friendly feasible strategies to allow extremely precise dose computations in brachytherapy seed implants, much superior to currently used methods. The project will result in accurate dose calculations for eyeplaque, breast and prostate brachytherapy using the Monte Carlo technique and can provide improved assessment tumor control probabilities.
11. Kinetic Model of Tumor Regression During Radiation Therapy of Cervical Cancer (PI: Jian Wang, PhD, Nina Mayr, MD) Tumor kinetic response to radiation therapy provides important information about tumor radiosensitivity, repopulation and microvascular circulation that critically influence treatment outcome. This project aims to develop a kinetic tumor regression model and derive model parameters from serial MR imaging during therapy in cervical cancer. The ultimate goal is to create personalized therapy strategies and optimize the treatment regimens for cervical cancer for better outcomes.
12. Macroscopic and Microscopic Integral Dose Effect on Radiotherapy Planning (PI: Kaile Li, PhD) This project develops improved dose computation for Gamma Knife radiosurgery and investigates the optimal application of integral dose and radiation beam characteristics into the treatment planning system, to achieve a faster and more effective treatment planning process.
